DAY INSISTS CRIME PACKAGE WOULD REDUCE GANG VIOLENCE

Mandatory Jail Terms For Gun Crimes Heads List

VICTORIA -- B.C. could see an immediate reduction in the level of
gang violence if a proposed new federal crime package becomes law,
federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said on Wednesday.

"A lot of the gang activity, especially the young men who are
involved in this, have no fear of the consequences of committing a
crime with a firearm because they know under the system right now
they might not even have to go to jail," Day said in an interview.

"By bringing in legislation that would require mandatory jail term
for crimes with firearms, it sends an immediate signal right out to
the street that we are getting serious with this type of thing," he
added, saying the Conservative government's proposed Tackling Crime
Bill would also allow greater punishment for repeat offenders. "It
would have immediate effect right down to the street level," he said.

Day accused opposition parties of stalling the legislation, and said
his minority government plans to stake its mandate on the issue and
make the vote on the collection of five related bills a vote of confidence.

"We're tired of MPs who go back to their home ridings and they talk a
tough game when it comes to crime and they go back to Ottawa and they
vote against these tough crime measures," he said, adding the vote is
expected to happen before Christmas.

"It is time for these MPs to stand and be counted and get this type
of legislation through."

Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh, who represents Vancouver
South, said Wednesday the Liberals are more than willing to support
the Conservative crime package, meaning it could become law before
the end of the year.

Dosanjh denied that opposition parties have been delaying the crime
bills. "There were some concerns we expressed on these issues and
they have dealt with those concerns in the Tackling Crime Bill and
therefore it is not an issue," he said.

"We have indicated we support them in the current form."

But Dosanjh said it will take more than just new laws to solve B.C.'s
gang-violence problems.

"If the toughest laws could prevent crime from happening, the 26
states in the United States of America that have the death penalty
would have no murders," he said.

Dosanjh said there needs to be proper treatment for drug-dependent
offenders, proper rehabilitation and other programs that address the
core issues.

"This government is not doing anything at that end of the spectrum," he said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was in Vancouver Wednesday, also
connected the recent spate of apparently gang-related murders in the
Lower Mainland to the Conservatives' urgency in bringing in a new
Tackling Violent Crime Act.

"I tell you, the public does not have the time to take a year or two
to pass the simplest criminal justice measure," he said. "It is clear
what we have to do, at least, on toughening the criminal justice
system, and we've got to get on with doing it. A minority government
is no excuse for not doing it."

Day said the most significant aspects of the Tackling Crime Bill are
mandatory jail time for any crime involving a gun and stronger
minimum sentences for gun-related crimes. It also calls for
dangerous-offender designations to be applied after three convictions
for a range of crimes, urine tests for drivers suspected to be under
the influence of drugs and an increase in the age of sexual consent
to 16 from 14 years.