Pubdate: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 Source: London Free Press (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 The London Free Press Contact: http://www.lfpress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243 Pubdate: April 10, 2006 Author: Joe Belanger Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) MURDERS STRESS NEED FOR CRACKDOWN, MP SAYS The Stafford Line massacre of eight Toronto-area men is another example why Canada needs to get tougher with violent and repeat offenders, the area's MP says. Conservative Joe Preston, whose Elgin-Middlesex-London riding includes the Elgin County property where the bodies were found in several vehicles Saturday, made the comment yesterday as the Ontario Provincial Police continued its investigation into the worst mass murder in the province's history. "We need to address crime," said Preston, adding that tougher sentences and more police is one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's top five priorities. "It does show us even rural Southwestern Ontario is being dragged into 21st-century crime," Preston said. The Tory crime-busting plan includes mandatory minimum terms for drug and gun offences and eliminates house arrest for violent or repeat offenders. Harper has pledged to shelve Liberal plans to decriminalize marijuana and to crack down on drug dealers, pot grow-operations and violent offenders. Also, the Conservatives say a tighter parole system will remove statutory release provisions that allow most criminals to walk free after serving two-thirds of their sentence. "We need a strategy dealing with enforcement, education, rehabilitation along with really serious, meaningful sentencing for repeat drug offenders," London police Chief Murray Faulkner said. Ontario Labour Minister Steve Peters, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, offered condolences for the families of the victims. "I think it's on everyone's mind when there's a tragedy like this in our own backyard," Peters said. "But with everything that's happened, I think it's important to just let the police continue their investigation." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom