IN CANADA, CRIME PAYS

Organized crime pays, particularly in Canada with its porous borders,
poorly funded police and tin-pot laws that do little more than annoy crime
bosses.

Canadians were shamed this week with revelations of an international crime
expert that their country is to crooks what Switzerland is to banking -- "a
welcome-wagon for crime."

Other descriptions were also damning: "easy mark for criminals," "hub of
international drug trafficking," and "a revolving door that lets everyone
in, regardless of their criminal past.

Then there's the fact Canada is a key North American entry point for
heroine and cocaine. Worse, it is a source nation for speed, marijuana and
designer drugs exported to other nations. At least 18 organized crime
groups with foreign connections are in Canada.

In Ontario alone, there are 11 motorcycle gangs running drugs,
prostitution, telemarketing scams and money laundering -- half of $17
billion laundered in Canada is in Ontario. Since 1994, there have been 100
bombings and 150 biker-related murders in Canada.

Ontarians get ripped off at an astonishing rate because their province is
the financial capital of Canada. The plunder on the economy from
telemarketing fraud is $4 billion; stock market fraud, $3 billion;
insurance fraud, perhaps $2 billion. There are credit card, cell phone and
home reno scams, OHIP card counterfeiting, the list goes on.

The Ontario government gets credit for focusing attention on this horror
with a two-day summit bringing in experts from the U.S., U.K., Ireland and
South Africa. Not coincidentally, these nations have begun to take on
organized crime, seizing vast amounts of assets and pumping it back into
policing, and giving long sentences.

One thing is clear: Canadian are too easygoing about organized crime.

Queen's Park made one of many required steps in the right direction by
unveiling its intention to introduce a law this fall allowing it to seize
assets and proceeds of these organizations. Similar legislation allowed
Americans to seize $600 million in property from criminals last year.

There will be complaints when assets get seized from innocent parties. But
the alternative isn't worth considering.