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."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom