GREENING AND GUNS

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is gearing up for an election and
Canadians are going to hear a lot about crime and punishment.

None of the Conservatives' proposed crime control laws have been
passed in the year since the party assumed power.

The Tories are busy "greening" themselves lately, but what's been
billed as a "mini throne speech," Harper has been out stumping his
platform - tax cuts, tough crime laws and warning that without his
party in power, Canada would be "a country where the streets are ruled
by guns, gangs and drugs."

We doubt Canadians are buying into the rhetoric. Canada's streets will
never be ruled by gangs and guns. A few cities, including Toronto,
have been plagued by gang problems, but the country is not about to
sink into anarchy.

Still, more needs to be done to combat gun crime in Canada. Mandatory
sentences for those who use guns while committing crimes are a good
start.

But opposition critics are also correct when they state the government
needs to tackle the causes of crime - poverty, illiteracy and a
breakdown in social support for the underprivileged.

As well, there needs to be greater control over smuggling. The
majority of gun crimes committed in Canada are with illegal weapons,
most of them handguns smuggled from the United States.

The federal gun registry - still in existence after a Conservative
pledge to kill it - has done little to control gun crime. That's
because it targets legal guns owners most of who are hunters.

As for drugs, the Liberals were moving in the right direction when
they considered decriminalizing simple possession of marijuana.
Prohibition of this substance, no more dangerous than alcohol, has
continued to fuel the profits of organized crime.

The Conservatives are naive if they think any crime and punishment
policy will be effective without considering a change in current drug
legislation.

Polls indicate a majority of Canadians support decriminalization of
small amounts of marijuana. Police and court resources should be
targeted at more dangerous substances such as crack cocaine and
so-called designer drugs.

Harper is also promising financial breaks on fuel-efficient
cars.

This was actually a New Democratic Party promise several years ago. If
the Tories are sincere, it's a positive step. But what took so long?

Harper's latest strategy is more general than the last election
campaign, promising stronger democratic institutions - there has been
little accomplished on parliamentary and senate reform - a stronger
federation - whatever that means - a stronger economy and more
effective foreign policy.

It's refreshing to hear Harper has changed his tune on climate change,
promising targets for industry and accepting the fact science has
proven greenhouse gases are bad for the environment.

Get set for more rhetoric from all federal parties. We may be at the
ballot box sooner than we think even though polls show most of us
would rather stay home.