CRIME AND PUNISHMENT TO TOP AGENDA

Pre-Election Fever Sees Conservatives Throwing Money at Prevention
Programs

If there was any doubt that law and order will play a role in the
Conservative party's federal election campaign, consider this: During
a weeklong blitz in March, the Harper government committed $37.5
million to counter youth gangs in British Columbia, nearly $10 million
for crime-prevention projects in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and
hundreds of thousands of dollars to boost security at community
centres and places of worship in Ontario.

"The tough-on-crime agenda may play well in certain regions of the
country," said Scott Matthews, assistant professor of political
science at Queen's University.

"The importance of this issue is that it may convert some votes where
they really matter."

The Opposition faces a bit of a conundrum, Matthews said. The Liberals
could try to narrow the gap between themselves and the Tories on
publicsafety issues, but moving too closely to the Tories to "please
suburban voters" could alienate some traditional Liberal supporters.

"Given these conflicting incentives, the party may prefer to appear
somewhat ambiguous on the matter -to be most things to most people -or
avoid talking about it altogether."

However, that doesn't mean opposition parties won't try to chip away
at some of the Tories' more controversial initiatives. Critics have
blasted the Tories' prison-expansion plans, saying the money should be
spent on crime prevention and rehabilitation programs, especially when
overall violent crime rates are dropping.

"No doubt there will be comparisons to very high U.S. incarceration
rates," said Robert MacDermid, an associate professor of political
science at Toronto's York University.

The Tories, however, say serious and violent criminals need to pay
their "full debt" to society.

They also have said that crime statistics don't tell the whole story
because the number of crimes that go unreported has grown.

How to deal with large-scale human-smuggling operations could also be
a flashpoint in the campaign. The opposition has said the Tories'
proposed anti-smuggling bill is "draconian" and would deprive
legitimate refugee-seekers of certain rights.

But the Conservatives say such operations undermine Canada's security
and that the practice is dangerous and exploitative. In a recent
television ad, they shot back at opposition critics, accusing them of
being "weak on border security."

Another issue that is bound to surface during any campaign is the
Conservatives' "secrecy" over the costs associated with its crime
bills, MacDermid said.

The issue likely will be raised in the "wider context of a debate
about how the Tories have treated Parliament," Matthews said.

"Have they shown proper respect for the institution?" On that point,
Matthews isn't convinced voters really care.

"My hunch is that, at such an abstract level, this kind of issue won't
matter much to voters."