WHY WE'RE TOUGH ON CRIME

Our government is committed to initiatives that make our communities
safer. That is why the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) continues
to provide training and job skills so that criminals can prove they
are ready to be released back into our communities. The protection of
Canadians must come first.

In February 2009, the CSC announced that prison-farm operations
located in federal institutions would be discontinued. The federal
government recorded $7.5-million in revenues from the six farms in
2007-08, but expenses were $11.6-million, leaving the CSC with an
operational net loss of over $4-million for the farms. Over the past
five years, less than 1% of those released found employment on
independently operated farms. We do not believe that a 1% success
rate is an effective use of taxpayers' dollars. (Other prison-site
business programs will continue, including manufacturing, services,
construction and textiles.)

Our approach toward corrections will require us to expand capacity
within existing prisons. This is a small price to pay to ensure
dangerous criminals don't create new victims or terrorize previous
ones. We want to keep offenders, particularly dangerous repeat
offenders, off the streets, and we are prepared to pay the cost in
order to do that. It does cost money to deal with serious criminals.
But failing to do so comes with significant costs as well, and not
just in dollar terms.

The Truth in Sentencing Act was passed to ensure that convicted
offenders serve a sentence that reflects the severity of their
crimes. Under the previous system, a violent criminal sentenced to
nine years in prison could be on our streets in three years if he or
she spent two years awaiting trial. In at least one case, a convicted
terrorist was released one day after being sentenced.

The provinces and police supported our efforts to end credit for time
served -- efforts the Ignatieff Liberals tried to block. We disagree
with the Liberals' view that dangerous criminals should be released
onto our streets early just to save a buck.

As it stands, a drug trafficker or white collar criminal sentenced to
12 years could be released into the community on day parole in just
two years. Canadians find this unacceptable, and we hope our
legislation will pass as soon as Parliament reconvenes in the Fall.

Our government is unwavering in its commitment to provide our
law-enforcement agencies with the tools they say they need to make
our streets safer. I am pleased that our government is delivering,
because we know that those tools achieve results in the fight against
organized criminals and gangs.

- -Vic Toews is the Minister of Public Safety.