JUSTICE MINISTERS SEEK NEW LAWS AGAINST SYRINGES, DRUNK DRIVERS

OTTAWA - Criminals who use syringes as weapons should be punished as
severely as those who use guns, say provincial justice ministers who are
also lobbying Ottawa to create a new crime of "inhalant trafficking" and to
boost penalties for drunk drivers who ride with children.

The three novel proposals are part of a packed agenda provincial and
territorial ministers responsible for justice will pursue today and
tomorrow in Ottawa during their annual meeting with their federal
counterpart, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler.

Nova Scotia Justice Minister Michael Baker said police in his province are
finding that robbers and other felons have been changing their weapons of
choice since 2000, when Parliament enacted a law requiring judges to impose
prison terms of at least four years for crimes committed with firearms.

"Unfortunately there seems to be a growing trend for people to threaten: 'I
have a syringe and I have got HIV and give me all your money.' Of course
this form of theft is no different than threatening somebody with a gun --
from the point of view of the person being terrorized, the effect is the
same," said Mr. Baker. "So we believe that it is very worthwhile to look at
whether use of any kind of weapon, whether it's a gun or a syringe, is
something that should be included with a minimum sentence."

Manitoba Attorney General Gord Mackintosh said he will push for increased
penalties for drunk drivers who transport children, even for cases where no
accident occurs. "Thirty-five U.S. states have done this already," he said.
"It's not enough that judges may from time to time consider child
passengers as an aggravating factor [in sentencing]. Children deserve more
.. when an impaired driver essentially has a child as a captive."

Manitoba and other western provinces are also lobbying for the creation of
new sanctions targeting "inhalant traffickers" -- people who sell common
household products such as adhesives or glue remover knowing they will be
used as intoxicants.