HARPER TO 'GET TOUGH' ON CRIMINALS

Wants Mandatory Minimum Jail Terms, No Conditional Sentences And
Sexual Consent Raised To Age 16

WINNIPEG -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned Wednesday the days
of cushy house arrest and weak jail sentences for criminals are over in Canada.

Speaking to a bipartisan crowd of 1,200 people at a Manitoba Chamber
of Commerce luncheon in Winnipeg, Harper promised to introduce three
separate justice bills, including mandatory minimum prison terms, the
end of conditional sentences, and a two-year increase in the age of
sexual consent.

All were promises made during the election campaign and form part of
the justice pillar of the Conservative government's five-point plan.

"Every Canadian should be able to live in a safe and vibrant
community," Harper said. "What sense of community can you have when
people are afraid to walk the streets?"

"Peaceful, law-abiding communities are an integral part of Canada's
traditional identity and values. Times ... have been changing and the
safe streets and safe neighbourhoods that Canadians have come to
expect as part of the Canadian way of life are threatened by rising
levels of gun, gang and drug crime."

Harper cited this month's mass murder of eight people associated with
the Bandidos motorcycle gang near London, Ont., as a clear indication
organized crime is a growing problem throughout Canada. He said the
federal and provincial governments, along with local authorities,
would need to work together to fight the "plague."

The first of the three bills will create mandatory minimum prison
sentences for serious drug trafficking and weapons offences, crimes
committed by someone on parole, and repeat offenders.

"This measure is going to go a long way to help beat back the
epidemic of guns, gangs and drugs that is plaguing our cities,"
Harper said to loud applause.

"To those who would traffic drugs in order to peddle them to our
children, our message is clear; to those who would smuggle guns
across our border, our message is clear; to those who would bring
terror to our streets through their violent activity, our message is
clear -- we will empower the police and prosecutors with the tools
they need to discover your enterprises, shut them down and put you
behind bars."

The second bill will eliminate the practice of conditional sentences,
which are akin to house arrest. Harper called the practice unconscionable.

"Simply put, the current practice of allowing some criminals who have
convicted serious violent, sexual, weapons or drug offences to serve
out their sentence at home is unconscionable. Under Canada's new
national government, serious offenders are going to serve out their
sentences where they ought to -- in prison," the prime minister said.

The third bill will raise the age of consent for sexual relations
between children and adults to 16 from 14. Harper said this move is
long overdue and brings Canada into line with many other countries.
He said it will protect children from the increased activity of
predators over the Internet. The age of consent is now 16 in the U.K,
Australia and in most American states.

"These three justice reforms will be only the beginning of our plan
to overhaul criminal justice in this country. One step at a time, we
will create a criminal justice system that makes its priorities the
punishment of crime, the privacy of the victim and the protection of
law-abiding people and their property."

All three initiatives are expected to receive solid support from the provinces.

Harper challenged the opposition parties to vote down the bills at
their own political peril.