OPPOSITION UNITES BEHIND BLOC MP'S ANTI-GANG BILL

Proposal Would Make It Easier To Seize Proceeds Of Crime

OTTAWA -- The federal opposition is flexing its muscles with all three
parties joining forces to push through a Bloc Quebecois-proposed bill
that would toughen laws against gangsters by making it easier for
police to seize the proceeds of crime.

While private members' bills normally have little chance of becoming
law, Bloc MP Richard Marceau's effort to clamp down on organized crime
has a good chance of success in light of the unusual cross-party
support in the minority Parliament.

It's the first joint policy measure since the opposition acquired
enough strength in the June 28 election to out-vote the government.

"I think the support of the three opposition parties would signal it
is going to go through," said Joe Comartin, the bill's NDP backer.

The bill will be tabled Thursday and the three opposition parties will
hold a joint press conference to promote the initiative.

The proposed legislation would force people convicted of having links
to organized crime to prove that their assets were acquired honestly,
a measure that would reverse the burden of proof that normally
requires the prosecution to make a case of guilt rather than the
accused to prove innocence.

The opposition parties are bypassing the Liberals instead of lobbying
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler for his support.

Cotler's spokeswoman, Denise Rudnicki, said she knows nothing about
the opposition initiative and that there are no government plans to
introduce more legislation on organized crime.

Comartin said he supports the bill because "it's a logical extension
of some of the work we've already done around gangsterism and
organized crime."