CONSERVATIVES TACKLING CRIME

Canada's government is taking action to protect the lives of innocent
people from those who drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Legislative reforms introduced last week will ensure that
drug-impaired drivers face similar testing to that which drunk drivers
now face. The government is also giving police better tools to detect
and investigate drug and alcohol-impaired driving, and increasing the
penalties convicted impaired drivers face.

The Government will be providing more tools for the police. They will
be able to demand that a person suspected of driving while impaired by
alcohol or a drug participate in a sobriety test at the roadside and
police will be able to demand that a person suspected of driving while
impaired by a drug participate in physical tests and bodily fluid
sample tests. Proposed reforms to the Criminal Code include increasing
penalties drivers will face if found in possession of an illicit drug.

Drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding .08 will face a life
sentence penalty in a case causing death, and a maximum 10-year
sentence in a case causing bodily harm. Impaired drivers will face
higher mandatory minimum penalties. For a first offence, the fine will
increase from $600 to $1,000. For a second offence, sentencing will
increases from 14 days to 30 days, and for a third offence, sentencing
will increase from 90 days to 120 days.

In the past eight months, Canada's government has introduced a number
of initiatives to tackle crime and protect the safety and security of
Canadians. These include legislation to impose stricter conditions on
dangerous offenders; end conditional sentences for serious offences;
implement mandatory minimum sentences for crimes involving guns; raise
the age of consent for sexual activity from 14 to 16 years and crack
down on street racing. These are fine examples of our government
getting things done for families and taxpayers by working to keep our
streets safe.