Omnibus Crime Bill

Green Party of Canada Update on Omnibus Crime Bill and Guelph protest.

Coast to coast, Canadians have protested the flawed Omnibus Crime Bill.

Critics, including the Canadian Bar Association, say it makes no sense—crime  rates are dropping and decades of research proves that more people in jail doesn’t equal safer streets. Just the opposite, in fact.

Despite debate on the bill being limited twice, the Green Party has put forward a robust response. Leader Elizabeth May has tabled 50 amendments that address the Bill’s worst aspects. As the bill moves to Report Stage before the full House, it is the Green amendments that most effectively tackle this draconian law. They include:

  • Handing a measure of sentencing control back to judges.
  • Removing mandatory minimum sentences for small amounts of marijuana.
  • An annual, transparent review of the Bill’s consequences.

May points out, “…this legislation unjustly targets Canada’s most vulnerable communities, including First Nations and people suffering from mental illnesses. It strips away judicial discretion and removes our traditional emphasis on rehabilitation. The bill will cost the Canadian economy countless billions of taxpayers’ dollars for an approach that even Texas admits doesn’t work.”

One Green MP is standing up and making a difference!

In Guelph, Leadnow.ca and the local Council of Canadians organized a protest outside of Liberal MP Frank Valeriote's office. Here is a link to a great video of the event covered by the Guelph Mercury

Posted by Mary Cross on November 30, 2011 | Permalink


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