MANDATORY MINIMUMS NOT THE ANSWER

Editor, The News:

Mandatory minimum sentences do not put teeth into the law, they remove
justice from the law.

Vigilantes want frontier justice, not the protection by law of the
innocent from unjust prosecution that a civilized society deserves.
Such measures are the tactics of the self-righteous who treat citizens
as children instead of adults, and insult judges who are appointed
because of their knowledge of the law and their wisdom.

As a lawyer, Ed Fast should know this. His boosterism of Bill C-26
smacks of hypocrisy and politicking, and those who believe that C-26
will improve matters are being misled.

The Abbotsford Police will confirm that crack is a much bigger
problem than marijuana. Marijuana under the control of organized
criminals is traded cross-border for guns and crack. Decriminalizing
marijuana may result in an increase in smoking weed, but cripple the
gangs and help get rid of crack and guns on our streets.

Robert Janvrin

Abbotsford