CRIME BILL TO COST $78 MILLION OVER 5 YEARS, TORIES SAY

Bulk of Expense Taken Up by Drug Provisions

Under pressure to put a dollar figure on its controversial omnibus
crime bill, the federal government released figures Thursday that peg
the cost at $78.6 million over five years.

The document indicates proposed mandatory minimum sentences for
incest and sexual exploitation of children would result in additional
correctional costs and that $10.9 million would be provided in the
first two years.

Additional funding would be subject to approval thereafter.

The contentious drug portion of the bill -- which, among other
things, sets minimum mandatory sentences for marijuana production in
excess of five plants -- is expected to cost $67.7 million over five years.

According to government figures, there will be no additional federal
costs related to measures that assist victims of terrorism, prevent
the exploitation of vulnerable immigrants and get tough on repeat
young offenders.

The government also anticipates no additional federal costs for
proposals that would end house arrest for property and other serious
crimes and eliminate pardons for violent and repeat offenders.

There are also no new funding requirements attached to amending the
International Transfer of Offenders Act, according to government figures.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews
tabled the breakdown at the end of a Commons committee hearing. Both
ministers spent the hearing on the hot seat trying to defend the bill.

Before Thursday, the government had not provided a full costing and
relied instead on a 2008 Justice Department study that estimated
crime costs Canadians $99 billion a year and that much of it is
"borne by victims." The figures released Thursday, however, do not
take into account additional costs the provinces and territories may
be forced to bear.

Under opposition questioning on the matter, Nicholson suggested it's
not really an issue.

"The provinces are very well aware of what we are doing," he said,
later noting the provinces even "asked us to bring these laws forward.

"It's been at least four years since I introduced this bill before
Parliament and they have underlined to me what a problem drug
trafficking is within the provinces, so again, they're well aware of
the components of this bill."

Meanwhile, Canada's budget watchdog confirmed Thursday that he will
undertake a full cost analysis of the Safe Streets and Communities
Act, which passed second reading last week.

Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page said his office was "looking
at C-10" following a request from both the NDP and the Liberals for
an "independent costing."

"We have been encouraged to have a product ready for the second half
of November," he said in an email.

"At this stage, we are going through the sub-components of the
omnibus bill and identifying cost drivers, areas of potential fiscal
materiality, data requirements, model approaches, issues to follow up, etc."