Ottawa Journal For the Week of April 10-14, 2006

THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON CRIME

In early April, Prime Minister Harper addressed the Canadian
Professional Police Association. During his speech, Prime Minister
Harper raised the increasing problem of crime across Canada. Drug and
gun crimes, in particular, have risen, as well as the homicide rate.
The new Conservative Government has pledged to take quick action to
address these problems, to protect our Canadian way of life, and I
would like to take this opportunity to share our plan with you.

Firstly, the new Government will hold criminals to account. This will
be accomplished by establishing mandatory minimum prison sentences
for drug traffickers, weapons offences, repeat offenders, and crimes
committed while on parole. In addition, the Government will end
conditional sentences for serious crimes and replace statutory
release with earned parole.

Secondly, the new Government is working with its partners in other
levels of government, to ensure there are more police officers on the
streets. This initiative is particularly important because many
police forces are currently under-funded and under siege. The
Government will also take action by re-investing savings from the
long gun registry into front-line law enforcement and invest new
federal money into criminal justice priorities, including youth-at-
risk programs.

Thirdly, the new Conservative Government is opposed to legalizing
drugs, especially because of the harm it inflicts on our cities and
communities, due to increased addiction and crime. The Government's
plan is to remove drugs from the streets and our children's hands, by
ensuring mandatory minimum prison sentences and large fines are given
to marijuana grow operators and drug dealers. The Government will
also introduce a national drug strategy, which will include a
nationwide awareness campaign to discourage youth addiction before it
begins.

Finally, the new Government will be tough on sex offenders and those
who prey on our children. This will be accomplished by creating an
effective DNA bank of all convicted sex and dangerous offenders. The
Government also intends to raise the age of consent for sexual
relations between children and adults from 14 to 16 years of age.
Additionally, a zero tolerance policy for all forms of child
pornography will be enacted.

These measures are a necessary first step to take back our streets
and communities. Canadians have told their elected representatives
they want to be safe once again and want action now. By working
together, this can and will be achieved.