Pubdate: Tue, 28 Feb 2012
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Jordan Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing)

SENATORS SEND CRIME BILL BACK TO HOUSE

Conservative Runciman's Six Changes Added, but All 17 Liberal 
Suggestions Shot Down

OTTAWA - The federal government's omnibus crime bill will be heading 
back to the House of Commons after senators approved changes to Bill 
C- 10 on Monday.

The changes, proposed by Ontario Conservative Sen. Bob Runciman, were 
approved easily, but changes Liberal senators wanted to the Safe 
Streets and Communities Act received a tougher ride, including a 
failed proposal to raise the number of marijuana plants one could 
legally grow to 20 from six.

Conservative senators on the legal affairs committee used their 
majority to reject all 17 changes the Liberals proposed.

Liberal senators also raised concerns about provisions in C- 10 that 
could affect aboriginals more negatively than others, but Tories on 
the committee said the bill focused on crime regardless of who was responsible.

"If they're trafficking, they know what they're doing," said 
Conservative Sen. Daniel Lang. "They are affecting young people 
within their villages."

Lang said victims believe there has been a miscarriage of justice 
over the last few years, and it was time to change that by having 
politicians set "the moral compass" for law and order.

The Liberals unsuccessfully proposed changes to the drug laws in the 
bill, including increasing to 20 from six the number of marijuana 
plants required to be charged with trafficking.

"I'm concerned that when we pass a bill that people will believe 
their streets and communities will be safer and I'm not convinced 
that's the case," Liberal Sen. James Cowan said in an interview.

Cowan said there are some Tory senators who are critical of the bill 
and may vote with the opposition Liberals when the Senate as a whole 
debates Bill C- 10 on Wednesday. Liberal Sen. Joan Fraser said police 
told the committee they were unlikely to hunt down Canadians growing 
as few as six marijuana plants and would focus instead on large producers.

"It's very strange to pass a law when the police tell you they 
probably wouldn't enforce it," Fraser said.

Other changes that were rejected include: making previous jail time 
of at least one year a requirement of the twostrike rule that 
mandates a minimum one-year jail sentence for a second drug offence 
of any kind; restricting information a victim can receive about the 
rehabilitation progress of an offender, stemming from the specific 
crime; and prohibiting the reporting of any information about a child 
offender under the age of 14.

The only changes that were accepted were the six proposed by Runciman.

Those amendments were similar to the six that Liberal MP and justice 
critic Irwin Cotler proposed when the bill was in the House of Commons.

The Conservatives rejected Cotler's recommendations, but had to have 
its amendments presented in the Senate because the government waited 
too long in the House of Commons legislative process to legally make 
changes to Bill C- 10.

The six changes adopted include defining what it means to support 
terrorism and giving victims of terrorism the ability to sue the 
group or state that supported the terrorist act.
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