CANDIDATES BICKER OVER FIGHTING CRIME

There were no questions about safe injection sites or drug crimes but
three of the four major Peterborough riding federal candidates made
their views known last night.

Liberal Betsy McGregor and Green candidate Emily Berrigan took
Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro to task on his views on dealing with
criminals and Vancouver's safe injection site, Insite, at a debate at
Calvary Pentecostal Church on Lansdowne Street West.

The Church In The City, an association of clergy from about 19 area
evangelical churches, organized the debate.

Discussing the gun registry first brought out a theme that would carry
through the night.

McGregor admitted the implementation of the gun registry was too
expensive under Jean Chretien's former Liberal government. But she
said it's important to look at the root causes of crime and not build
22 new jails and jail 14-year-olds.

"Let's as a society address the causes of crime as much as
consequences of crime and gun registries to control crime," she said.

Del Mastro said it's "ridiculous" to say his party would build 22 new
prisons, but also agreed it's important to address the root causes of
crime.

"We have gun crime because our streets are flooded with drugs and
we've got to address that. We have a Liberal party that thinks it's a
good idea to have things like Insite," he said.

Del Mastro urged getting tough on drug dealers and said it was time to
"stop this whole notion of rehabilitation, reintegration."

"It's so easy, if somebody's bad, that's why we have prisons that's
what justice is all about."

He also called Insite a "soft legitimization by governments of drug
use," and said his party doesn't believe that helping people who are
addicted "includes putting a needle in their arm and more drugs in
them."

Berrigan repeatedly attacked Del Mastro's characterization of Insite,
saying the solution to get people off drugs is "not by calling them
junkies and throwing them in jail."

"Everybody needs compassion, everybody needs support and if you give
somebody, something to hold on to ... it's the only moral thing for us
to do," she said.

McGregor said no one wants drug pushers but urged the audience to
think of how they would want their own child treated if they became
addicted to drugs. International research has shown that
"compassionate treatment and rehabilitation is the way to go," she
said.

"I'm sorry that it's Dean's personal opinion that scientific evidence
doesn't support it."

A question about the rights of fetuses also elicited
responses.

NDP candidate Steve Sharpe, Del Mastro and McGregor reiterated their
previously expressed positions. Sharpe and McGregor are pro-choice,
while the Liberal candidate personally "believes in the sanctity of
life." Del Mastro is pro-life.

Berrigan said her personal opinion didn't matter but abortion needs to
be freely available and confidential.

"It's not about morality ... but it's an anti-poverty initiative. It's
a compassionate way of approaching it," she said.

Euthanasia also drew some stark responses. Berrigan said she
personally struggles with the issue, Del Mastro said he doesn't
"believe in nice terms like dying with dignity," and Sharpe called it
a "slippery slope."

"But the reality is I'm going to a funeral tomorrow for someone who
died because they made the decision that they didn't want to have
dialysis anymore," Sharpe said.

"A lot of these things are people making these decisions because their
lives are terrible and I know that life is sacred but it's their decision."

He called for a "mature discussion," on the issue.