[Sust-mar] Federal Crime Omnibus Bill

[Christopher Majka]

The federal crime omnibus bill (C-10) has almost universally been  
decried and condemned by all Canadian opposition parties, experts on  
criminality and criminal justice, social justice groups, and  
authorities in the United States who have tried some of the measures  
proposed in the bill and are now convinced that they do not reduce  
crime, but instead fill up prisons at the expense of taxpayers. The  
Canadian Bar Association has called Bill C-10 "self-defeating and  
counterproductive" and they believe will it will sideline public  
safety, rehabilitation, and reintegration at the expense of vengeance.

This crime legislation, which even conservative estimates predict will  
cost Canadian taxpayers an additional $2.7 billion over five years,  
flies in the face of crime rates in Canada which have now fallen to  
1973 levels - and continue to decrease.

Earlier in the week Quebec's justice minister, Jean-Marc Fournier said  
that Quebec will refuse to absorb the added costs associated with Bill  
C-10, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said that his province is  
unwilling to pick up the tab for the costs for the legislation.  
Newfoundland and Labrador's Justice Minister has joined the chorus in  
condemning this legislation introduced by the Harper Conservatives.

This is an ideal opportunity for the Nova Scotia government to join  
with the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and  
Prince Edward Island and tell Ottawa that Nova Scotians will not pay  
for this foolish, costly, and counterproductive legislation. Where the  
federal government has abandoned reason, provincial governments are  
stepping up to the plate on behalf of their citizens. We call on the  
Nova Scotia government to join the chorus repudiating this wrong- 
headed approach.

The petition is located at:
http://www.change.org/petitions/nova-scotia-minister-of-justice-say-no-to-the-federal-governments-crime-omnibus-bill-c-10

Christopher Majka


Christopher Majka
Project Democracy
http://www.projectdemocracy.ca
Email: <c.majka at ns.sympatico.ca> - Tel: (902) 425-3725

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting  
different results. - Albert Einstein