PING!
Posted on 10/26/2006 3:59:49 PM PDT by GMMAC
Harper says Liberals ‘half tough on crime'
SCOTT DEVEAU
Toronto Globe and Mail
Thursday, October 26, 2006
The Liberals offered Thursday to fast track the passage of more than half of the Tory's tough-on-crime legislation, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper quickly dismissed the offer as evidence of the Opposition's soft stance on crime.
“Half measures. That is not what they promised the Canadian people. We're doing what we promised,” Mr. Harper said at a press conference in Ottawa, where he was meeting with Mexican president-elect Felipe Calderon.
The Prime Minister said the Liberals were backing off their promises to get tough on crime, accusing them of now of saying that they would “be half tough on crime.”
Nevertheless, Jason Kenney, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, said the Tories would pass the bills through the House Thursday.
“We would be delighted to pass all of those bills in this place forthwith and in the liberal-controlled Senate tonight,” Mr. Kenney said. “But we don't think the Liberals are serious about this... We want to act. We'll co-operate with any party to do it right here, right now.”
The Liberals offered their support for six of the Tory's justice reform bills Thursday. They involve restricting the use of conditional sentencing, bolstering DNA databanks, stiffening of penalties for street racing, raising the age of consent, modernizing criminal procedure, and regulating the pay day loan industry.
Other parts of the Tory's justice reforms need more consideration, the Liberals said, including mandatory minimum sentencing for gun-related offences and the so-called three-strikes-you're-out legislation for violent and sexual offenders.
“By ensuring the passage of these six bills, our Liberal justice plan is helping to get effective laws on the books with a minimum of delay,” Liberal interim leader Bill Graham said Thursday in a statement. “Canadians want the safest communities possible, and this plan is a common sense solution to help deliver that.”
The Liberals noted that almost one-third of the minority Conservative government's legislative agenda – 11 of 34 bills – is focused on justice issues, and that has put an enormous strain on the House Standing Committee on Justice.
Mr. Harper has warned the opposition parties not to oppose his government's aggressive justice reforms, or else they would suffer for it at the polls. But the Liberals claimed Thursday they weren't playing politics with the offer.
“We aren't interested in playing politics with the Criminal Code and we hope this minority government will work with us to pass these bills, and give Canadians some peace of mind,” said Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale.
Mr. Harper also accused Liberals Thursday of being “arrogant and anti-democratic” in blocking Tories' bills in the Senate. The Tories' Accountability Act was tied up for more than four months in the Senate while its legal and constitutional affairs committee studied the bill.
“No one has elected the Senate and a lot of these blockages occur in the Senate - in a Liberal Senate - where there is a Liberal majority,” Mr. Harper said Thursday. “Voters said that they were sick and tired of a corrupt Liberal government and they don't expect a Liberal Senate to be trying to reverse the decision of the Canadian population to clean up the Canadian political system.”
Senate reform, including an elected Senate, has long been an objective of the Tory government, but earlier this year when the government introduced its Senate reform bill, it fell short of calling for an elected Senate. The government opted instead to push for fixed terms for senators.
But the leaders of the other opposition parties placed the blame for any delays squarely on shoulders of the Tories.
“I would say they're paralyzing themselves,” said Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, during a press conference in Ottawa Thursday. “They're worse than the Liberals in the procedures because they're acting like amateurs.”
NDP leader Jack Layton echoed Mr. Duceppe's concerns.
“There's no desire on the part of the government to work with opposition parties,” Mr. Layton said. “[Mr. Harper] has an arrogant and controlling attitude to his caucus, to the media, to the Canadian public, and also to the representatives of the majority of the Canadian people. And this is why we are seeing a log-jam in the House of Commons.”
PING!
“Voters said that they were sick and tired of a corrupt Liberal government and they don't expect a Liberal Senate to be trying to reverse the decision of the Canadian population to clean up the Canadian political system.”
Stephen Harper is SO my HERO!!!
Stupid question time, how are Senators picked in Canada my FRiends?
Might help us uninformed.
Senators in Canada are selected by the sitting government, and serve for life, or until age 75.
An appointment to the senate in Canada is THE Golden Egg of patronage appointments.
They are appointed by the Prime Minister.
Legally they are appointed by the Governor-General on the PM's advice, but in reality, the PM has the exclusive say. Usually they are party hacks that get the patronage spots in the Senate.
Thanks for the info. You guys/gals have to make sure PM Harper stays in long enough to replace some of those Libs!!
Opps, I just saw the first couple of posts. My Bad, as they say at work:(
LOL!
Not bad, normal.
:-)
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