ALLIANCE TO UNVEIL TOUGH CRIME POLICIES

Platform to come in mid-campaign

OTTAWA - The Canadian Alliance will paint itself as tougher on crime than
the Liberals with a mid-campaign release of a beefed-up law-and-order platform.

The document outlining the party's justice platform, which is still being
drafted, will run about a dozen pages. It will detail policies on drugs,
young offenders, sentencing, firearms, parole and prison reform, organized
crime and border controls, The Star has learned.

It will highlight:

* Longer sentences and lifetime supervision for criminals who commit
"serious, violent" offences;

* The removal of judicial discretion when it comes to determining what
constitutes a "serious violent offence." The Alliance will list what those
crimes are;

* Tougher treatment of young offenders, including lowering the age of
criminal responsibility to 10 from 12, and lowering the age at which
offenders are treated as adults for serious crimes to 14 from 16;

* A new anti-gang law that will list criminal organizations, and make
conviction of a crime while a member of a listed organization subject to
mandatory minimum jail terms;

* Tougher laws on drinking and driving;

* A ban on plea-bargaining of weapons charges;

* Automatic DNA sampling of crime suspects at time of arrest;

* Tougher border controls and stricter deportation policies;

* More resources for the RCMP.

The Alliance will also call for tougher prison terms for crimes in which
hard drugs like cocaine and heroin are involved, with mandatory prison
terms for repeat traffickers. At the same time, it promises to pour money
into drug treatment and rehabilitation centres across the country.

But on soft drugs, the Alliance will call for a national debate and free
vote in the House of Commons on the decriminalization of marijuana. That's
a retreat from earlier plans to introduce a decriminalization policy on
marijuana use.

In fact, the plan to decriminalize pot was initially included in the
overall Alliance platform released Oct. 5 but was dropped at the last minute.

The Alliance will also retain its longstanding promise to kill the Liberal
government's firearms registry. Day's party would keep a registry of sorts,
requiring new weapons purchases to be documented, but would repeal fees for
gun owners to sign up their weapons.