Pubdate: Fri, 15 Apr 2011
Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC)
Copyright: 2011 The Chilliwack Progress
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/Ta1hOac0
Website: http://www.theprogress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/562
Author: Robert Freeman
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?216 (CN Police)

CRIME-FIGHTING ELECTION ISSUE: PUNISHMENT OR PREVENTION?

Crime-fighting is a top priority for each of the federal election 
candidates running in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding.

But each differ on how they would tackle the issue.

City of Chilliwack officials - and the RCMP - have both complained 
about the lack of resources to fight back against crime here.

But Conservative candidate Mark Strahl points out that it's the 
provincial government that decides how much federal funding goes to 
B.C. municipalities, and negotiates the contract with the RCMP for 
police services.

"Our job is more on the recruitment side," he said, about the federal 
government's role.

He said the Conservative government created a $400-million 
recruitment fund in the last budget to add 2,500 front-line police 
officers, but the fund died when the budget was defeated by the opposition.

The Conservative government's crime-fighting strategy is to make sure 
crime doesn't pay, by toughening up Canada's laws, and the sentences 
meted out by courts.

"It's important that when people commit criminal acts that there are 
significant penalties for that," Strahl said.

But he said a majority government is needed to get the "crack-down on 
crime" legislation passed over the opposition in parliament.

"We're tired of waiting for the opposition to get on board," he said.

Liberal candidate Diane Janzen, a Chilliwack city councillor before 
she resigned to run for the federal election, said Chilliwack is 
paying 90 per cent of the bill for policing. Only 10 per cent is paid 
by the federal government.

"We (city council) don't even sit at the table when people are 
carving up the resources," she said, referring to contract 
negotiations between the province and the RCMP.

If elected MP, Janzen said she would fight to give the city more 
authority to crack down on the drugs that are behind most of the home 
and business break-ins in Chilliwack.

"That's the major issue we have here," she said.

But the city has no authority to shut down marijuana grow-ops 
masquerading as legally-approved medical grows, or stop the 
"outrageous" sale of drug paraphernalia in corner stores like crack 
pipes that lure young people into drug use, she said.

"I think we need to start empowering the city to come down on people 
flying in the face of the law," she said.

Under Health Canada legislation, medical grow-ops are supposed to be 
inspected, but Janzen said city council is "not confident at all" 
those inspections are happening, allowing illegal grow-ops to flourish.

New Democratic candidate Gwen O'Mahony said while the Conservative 
government focusses on harsher penalties and mega-prisons, "we'd like 
to spend the money on policing and prevention."

She said the NDP is committed to doubling the $400-million police 
officer recruitment fund, and to cut the "paper burden" on police 
officers, so they can spend more time on the streets fighting crime.

"We want to increase policing," she said.

Green Party candidate Jamie Hoskin said his party wants to ensure 
there are "adequate" police officers to make the community safe.

But instead of "throwing more money into policing" the Greens would 
put more funds into eliminating the root causes of crime, poverty, 
drug addiction and mental illness.

"The real issue in this riding right now is jobs and access to 
education," he said.

Without a job or the education to get that job, crime is sometimes a 
"tempting alternative," he said.

"$10.25 an hour (B.C.'s new minimum wage) is not enough to live on," he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom