CRACKING DOWN ON CRIME WITH NEW LEGISLATION

Canada's Government is committed to giving police the tools they need
to crack down on crime.

This is why we have recently introduced three new pieces of
legislation that will respond to the problems posed by youth crime,
introduce mandatory minimum sentences for serious drug crimes and
combat the complex and serious problem of identity theft.

Bill C-25 will amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) to allow
courts to consider deterrence and denunciation as objectives of youth
sentences.

This change will give judges the flexibility to impose appropriate
punishments with the objective of preventing serious offences
committed by youth.

Bill C-25 will also change the current pre-trial detention provisions
in the YCJA by making it easier to detain youth in custody prior to
their trials if they pose a risk to public safety.

Bill C-26 will get tough on people who commit the serious crime of
producing and selling illegal drugs.

The new legislation proposes mandatory prison sentences for those who
sell drugs for the purposes of organized crime.

It also proposes mandatory sentences for drug dealers who specifically
target youth or the places normally frequented by youth, such as a
school.

Mandatory prison sentences send a clear message to drug traffickers -
your behaviour will not be tolerated and you will be punished.

Bill C-27 aims to protect Canadians from identity theft by giving
police the tools they need to stop this activity before the damage is
done.

Organized crime and modern technology are changing the criminal
landscape, with new and rapidly-evolving technologies making identity
theft easier than ever.

The proposed legislation will create three new offences that directly
target aspects of the identity theft problem.

Soon the act of obtaining, possessing or trafficking identity
information for the purposes of committing a crime will be subject to
a five-year maximum sentence.

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice I will be
working hard to see that these Bills become law.

These initiatives are crucial if we are to protect Canadians from
criminals and we will require support from the Opposition to pass
these measures.

Rob Moore is MP for Fundy Royal. His column appears biweekly in
Riverview This Week.