PROVINCES WANT HELP TO FINANCE TORY CRIME PLAN

Tougher Approach Will Strain System; Ministers To Make Pitch For Assistance

Several provincial justice ministers want the federal government to
help them pay for the Conservative government's get-tough crime
agenda, which they said will cost the provinces more money by putting
extra strain on their prison and court systems.

The pitch will be made to federal Justice Minister Vic Toews and
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day when they fly into western
Newfoundland tomorrow for a meeting with their provincial counterparts.

"Obviously, all ministers are going to be interested in the impacts
of the federal criminal justice reforms and how that will affect the
provincial justice systems," said Newfoundland's Conservative justice
minister, Tom Marshall, who will chair the meeting.

"It's going to have a major effect on our system. We will need more
room in our prisons, we will need more prosecutors and we will need
more legal-aid lawyers, so it's going to have a financial effect."

Tougher law-and-order measures are a central element of the Harper
government's agenda.

Last spring, Mr. Toews and Mr. Day introduced legislation that, if
passed, will put more people in jail and keep them there longer. One
proposal is to impose minimum mandatory jail terms for a variety of
gun-related crimes. Another proposal calls for severely restricting
conditional sentences such as house arrest.

Mr. Day has acknowledged the measures could cost the system more
money and he said the federal government has set aside as much as
$245 million over five years to pay for additional prison cells.

But the provinces -- which are partners in justice and run provincial
jails where people serve sentences of under two years -- question how
they are going to pay on their end.

"The costs will be borne almost entirely by the provinces, and not
just on the capital side, building new correctional facilities, but
with legal-aid and Crown prosecutors," said Saskatchewan Justice
Minister Frank Quennell.

Through spokesman Mike Storeshaw, Mr. Toews declined an interview in
advance of the meeting. However, Mr. Toews hinted last spring there
would be no additional money for provinces to carry out the justice
changes. He said at the time that the provinces largely supported the
measures, so they should share in the costs.

The two-day gathering is Mr. Toews's and Mr. Day's first with their
provincial counterparts. A top item is prospective changes to laws
governing dangerous offenders.

The Conservatives are expected to table a bill this fall that will
make it easier for prosecutors to seek dangerous-offender status, a
designation that jails an offender indefinitely.

The government's plan would make it a presumption that certain sex
offenders and violent offenders would be declared dangerous offenders
after committing three serious crimes, unless they can present a
compelling case to the contrary.