Pubdate: Thu, 08 Mar 2012 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2012 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News OPPOSITION DELAYS PASSAGE OF CRIME BILL The Opposition has successfully delayed the passage of the controversial omnibus crime bill which was set to be voted on Wednesday one last time. The NDP employed procedural -delays following question period that left no more time for further debate and the final vote. But before moving on to a series of votes on private members bills, the Conservatives did manage to pass a time allocation motion to limit - -debate on the bill to one more day. That debate will resume Friday and the final vote will be deferred until Monday. "Today, the soft-on-crime Opposition moved to adjourn Parliament rather than debate the Safe Streets and Communities Act. This is ironic coming from the NDP, since they should know that those who don't show up to work shouldn't get promotions," government House leader Peter Van Loan said in a statement. The comment was a direct jab at the party, whose late leader Jack Layton used those words against former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff during the last election in reference to his shoddy House of Commons -attendance record. The Tories have vowed to pass the bill within 100 sitting days of the 41st Parliament - March 16, according to the parliamentary calendar. Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, ultimately returned to the House of Commons Tuesday for debate after several minor amendments were approved by the Senate in relation to the State Immunity Act and the ability of terrorism victims to sue their perpetrators. As the first member of the Opposition to address the Senate amendments, NDP justice critic Jack Harris launched a sort of one-man filibuster Tuesday, speaking for three hours in a final bid to reiterate his party's concerns with the bill. Critics have argued the cost of the bill will be enormous, that it favours incarceration over rehabilitation and reintegration and that it will lead to prison overcrowding. They've also slammed the Tories for pushing it through without sufficient debate, pointing to the late day Senate amendments as proof. Liberal justice critic Irwin Cotler put forward similar amendments during a Commons committee review of the bill, but his ideas were ultimately ignored. An amalgamation of nine justice bills, most defeated in previous Parliaments when the Conservatives had a minority, Bill C-10 also sets minimum mandatory sentences for drug trafficking and production, eliminates house arrest for several offences and cracks down on young offenders, Canadians imprisoned abroad and those seeking pardons. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.