MINIMUM SENTENCES AREN'T THE ANSWER: LIBERALS

Ajax-Pickering Liberal MP Mark Holland Was in Town Thursday, Meeting
With Federal Liberal Candidate Betsy Mcgregor and Groups Involved With
the Justice System.

Holland Is the Federal Public Safety Critic, and Was Taking Aim At
Bill S-10, Which Calls for Stiffer Penalties and Mandatory Minimum
Sentences for Drug Charges.

Holland Said the Bill Doesn't Address Key Problems That Lead to Crime,
and Would Lead to an Increase in Building "Mega-Prisons."

Mandatory Minimums Were Put in Place in California, Florida and The
United Kingdom, He Said, and the Conservatives Need to Take a Good
Look at How That's Worked Out.

"In Every Single Place It Was a Complete Disaster," He
Said.

Holland Said the Initiative Crushed Budgets, Turned Prisons into Crime
Factories, Led to Overcrowding and Resulted in Sparse Funds For
Rehabilitation Efforts.

"This Isn't Some Abstract Debate. We Know Where This Is
Going."

in Canada, He Said, It Would Translate into Less Money For
Preventative Efforts, Schools, Health Care and Early Childhood
Development.

"All of Those Things Stop Crime From Happening," He
Said.

First-Time, Non-Violent Offenders Don't Belong in Jail, He
Said.

Mcgregor Said Blanket Solutions Coming Out of Ottawa, Directed At
Individual Communities, Don't Work.

the Government Should Be Working With Community Agencies and Law
Enforcement to Get to the Root of the Problem, She Said, Examining
Everything From Mental Health Issues to Drug Addiction.

"It's Not a Matter of Being Tough on Crime. It's Being Tough And
Smart," She Said.

Holland Said Funding for Local Crime Prevention Initiatives Has Been
Repeatedly Cut, Hurting the Community's Ability to Stop Crime And
Prevent Victimization.

He Called for Funding to Local Programs to Be Restored.

MP Dean Del Mastro Was Quick to Rebuff Their Arguments, Calling It
"Utter Nonsense."

the Bill Targets People WHO Are Selling Drugs to Children and Peddling
Date Rape Drugs, He Said.

"Both of Which We Have Problems With in This Community," Del Mastro
Said.

Seizures of Narcotics Are on the Rise, Drug Use Is on the Rise, He
Said.

but According to Holland and Liberal Policy, He Said, a Trafficker
Would Only Get a Stern Talking to and Sent Home.

the Federal Government Has Taken a Three-Pillar Approach to Drugs, Del
Mastro Said, Focusing on Prevention, Treatment And
Enforcement.

With the Help of Government Funding Community Groups Are Working In
Schools to Help Children Stay Away From Drugs, He Said, and They're
Funding Centres That Help Addicts Deal With Addiction and Get on With
Their Lives.

He Said That About $14 Million in Funding From All Three Levels Of
Government Has Been Spent in the Peterborough Area on Community Groups
Focusing on Drug Prevention and Justice Issues.

the Enforcement Side, He Said, Is Going After People WHO Are Actively
Selling Drugs and Profiting From It.

"The Truth Is, We Can't Afford Not to Act," Del Mastro
Said.

Del Mastro Said the Liberal Party Wants to Stick With a System That
Rewards People WHO Are Trafficking by Handing Out Light Sentences That
Ensure They Can Go Back to Their Business.

It's A Nonsensical Argument, He Said, Adding That City Police and Opp
Arrest the Same Criminals Time and Time Again, Usually Charging Them
With the Same Offences.

"And Please Point to a Mega-Prison That's Under Construction," He
Said.

Someone WHO Sells a Date Rape Drug Like Rohypnol Does So Knowing That
It's Likely Some Girl Will Become the Victim of a Sexual Predator, Del
Mastro Said.

"We Want These People to Know the Law Has Some Teeth," He Said.