CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT THE ONE PLAYING POLITICS WITH CRIME

I have had the opportunity to witness the impact of crime from a
number of different perspectives over the course of my career -- as
an RCMP officer walking the streets, as a chief coroner looking into
death, as a mayor responsible to the residents of Vancouver, and now
as a senator engaged in examining the merits of anti-crime legislation.

I understand the serious effects that crime can have on a community
and its residents.

More prominently, however, I have become acutely aware of the way
that the psyches of people can be compromised when their personal
safety or the sanctity of their family's security is put at risk.

This is why I have no patience for those who use fear as a means to
an end. I am regularly angered by the way the media sensationalize
crime, often reporting an opposite interpretation of the facts, which
state that Canada's crime rate fell in 2006 to its lowest level in 25 years.

In the same fashion, I am absolutely incensed by the way that the
Conservative government is playing politics with crime, particularly
when it comes to the Canadian Senate.

In recent weeks, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and several of his
cabinet ministers have accused Liberal senators of holding up the
government's proposed crime bills.

These claims are that much more offensive after the tragic shooting
death in Toronto of 11-year-old Ephraim Brown, which has sparked
individuals like Justice Minister Rob Nicholson to accuse our Senate
caucus of stymieing the legislation for stronger mandatory minimum sentences.

Well, this tactic of political manipulation has got me angrier than
hell, and I am not going to stand silent any longer. First, let me
provide a couple of basic facts.

The Conservative government has introduced a total of 13 justice
bills in the past year. Seven have received royal assent, two are
still being debated in the House of Commons, and the Senate is
working on the final four, all of which have been in the upper
chamber for less than two months.

Five of the seven bills that have passed faced absolutely no
amendments from the Senate, instead offering observations designed to
guide both the House of Commons and Canadians in interpreting the new laws.

Truth be told, it is actually the prime minister who has shown a
disingenuous concern for his legislative justice agenda by refusing
to accept a deal from the Liberals to fast-track justice legislation,
which has consequently left several bills flapping in the wind over
the summer. Additionally, the possibility of proroguing when the
House of Commons returns brings the prospect that all bills sitting
before the Senate will be required to start over again at first
reading -- if, that is, a senator reintroduces them.

Of the four justice bills in front of the Senate, there are several
substantive concerns that must be addressed before they become law.
For example, Bill C-22 makes no distinction between sexual predators
and sexually immature teens when it comes to the potential of being
classified as a registered sex offender, and Bill C-35 provides
preferential treatment to criminals who commit violent offences that
do not involve a gun.

Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister (a
Conservative), stated that the Senate was to be a place of "sober
second thought" so that legislation would receive proper, careful
consideration before finally becoming law. Thus, it is my duty to
provide a proper examination of the issues, regardless of whether a
piece of legislation originates from a Conservative government or
Liberal government.

Partisan politics has never served as my motivation behind assessing
matters that relate to law and order and the safety of the Canadian public.

Falsely accusing Liberal senators of stalling legislation, using the
death of a child for political gain, or triggering people's fears
based on misinformation, is governance of the worst kind.

These tactics only serve to reinforce the cynicism Canadians feel
towards politicians and increase the public's concern that government
officials are not representing their constituents and communities.

It's time to be truthful with Canadians, to accept that those who
represent other parties are not always the enemy, and for Harper to
grasp the concept of cooperation for the greater good.

Larry W. Campbell is a senator from British Columbia.