HARPER DELIVERS ON CRIME BILL

You can tick off yet another of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's five
priorities for his new Conservative government.

The introduction in Parliament Thursday of two pieces of anti-crime
legislation means Harper has delivered on four of his five promises --
a Federal Accountability Act to clean up government, reducing the tax
burden on Canadians starting with a one-per-cent cut in GST, a $1,200
per year Child Care Allowance for each child under six and a crackdown
on crime. You could also argue that he has delivered on the last
promise, which is to work with the provinces and territories to
establish patient wait times guarantees for medically necessary
procedures and treatment. Budget documents said the government is
committed to establishing the benchmarks as soon as possible, starting
with cancer, heart and diagnostic imaging, joint replacement and sight
restoration. We'll wait until they are announced before crossing that
one off.

The anti-crime legislation introduced Thursday came in two bills --
mandatory minimum sentences for gun-related and other serious crimes
and the elimination of conditional sentences, including house arrest,
for serious, violent and sex-relate crimes punishable by maximum
sentences of 10 years or more. Other anti-crime bills are planned.

Neither piece of legislation is likely to run into any problems in
Parliament, both the Liberals and the NDP have indicated they are in
favour of tougher gun sentences.

However, the changes do give rise to some questions. The criminal
justice system is already bursting at the seams. While the budget
promised an undisclosed amount to expand prisons, that won't happen
overnight. Where will the extra prisoners be housed?

And criminologists cite statistics that show imposing tougher
sentences on criminals does not work. They do not deter existing
criminals from committing crimes; neither do they dissuade would-be
criminals from acting.

That said, most Canadians will welcome the changes. A number of polls
have indicated Canadians fear becoming victims of violent crime. It
makes no difference that crime rates, including gun homicides, have
been on the decline. In this case, it's all about perception and this
legislation will make Canadians feel safer.