JUSTICE MINISTER HECKLED AT MEET

Federal Justice Minister Vic Toews brought his "get tough on crime"
message to Calgary on Wednesday and met with a mostly receptive crowd.

There were a couple of outbursts from people who attended an evening
town hall meeting, hosted by Calgary West MP Rob Anders, with one man
challenging Toews on his assertion that Canada has a higher property
crime rate than the United States.

"That's not true," shouted the man, who attended the meeting at a
southwest Calgary school.

"Is this a discussion or are you simply lecturing us?" the man asked,
before organizers hushed him in favour of answering prescreened questions.

Toews spent a good part of the meeting -- attended by about 200
people -- outlining the federal government's plan to crack down on
violent crime by eliminating conditional sentences, where convicts
serve their time in the community rather than in jail, and introduce
mandatory minimum sentencing for offences involving guns.

Neither piece of legislation has yet been passed by Parliament.

Peter Worsley, 50, attended the meeting and said he agrees with much
of the government's justice plan, but has concerns about locking up
people and throwing away the key.

"I don't think you can make an approach that encompasses everyone,"
said Worsley, who found it "strange" that Wednesday's session didn't
allow people to ask questions from the floor.

Earlier in the day, Toews met separately with Calgary's police chief,
Alberta's solicitor general and victims' groups about "improving their lot."

"As the tragedy in Mayerthorpe demonstrated, violent criminals should
not be free to circulate in our society," said Toews, adding he is
working with provincial governments on a cost-sharing program to put
more police on the street.