conservatives
Harper tough on crime? Not at all
By John Hutton, Winnipeg SunDespite having spent most of last year arguing that his “tough on crime” agenda was urgently needed, Stephen Harper killed off most of it when he prorogued Parliament.
This means the legislation will have to be re-introduced and debated all over again over the next few months.
It is also a second chance for Canadians to see that his initiatives aren’t going to accomplish much, but they are going to cost taxpayers a lot of money.
Harper’s agenda involves increasing the amount of time people have to serve in jail or prison (at taxpayer expense) by imposing more minimum sentences, and making it harder for inmates to get parole.
Former Conservative MP Dodges Cocaine, Drunk Driving Charges
By Amber Hildebrandt, CBC News
Drunk driving and drug possession charges were dropped against former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer in court Tuesday, but he pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of careless driving.
Jaffer, 38, was ordered to pay a $500 fine within a month. He also donated $500 to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, his lawyer said.
An agreed statement of fact read by Crown lawyer Marie Balogh said that last Sept. 10, an Ontario Provincial Police constable clocked Jaffer driving 93 kilometres an hour in a 50 km/h speed zone in Palgrave, northwest of Toronto.
The village is in the southern Ontario riding of Simcoe-Grey held by his wife, federal Tory cabinet minister Helena Guergis.
Tories should take Jaffer lesson to heart, dump minimum sentences: experts
By Bruce Cheadle (CP)OTTAWA — Justice Minister Rob Nicholson should take a long, honest look at the Rahim Jaffer case and apply its lessons to the Conservative criminal justice agenda, the head of the John Howard Society said Tuesday.
"It's really easy to disparage discretion for judges - until you need it," Craig Jones told The Canadian Press in an interview.
Jaffer, a former senior Conservative MP in the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, walked out of a courtroom in Orangeville, Ont., after drunk driving and cocaine possession charges were dropped in return for a plea bargain on a careless driving charge.
CSIS played role in Afghan prisoner interrogations
By Murray Brewster and Jim Bronskill, THE CANADIAN PRESS, Published: Toronto SunOTTAWA - Officers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service have played a crucial and long-standing role as interrogators of a vast swath of captured Taliban fighters, The Canadian Press has learned.
The spies began working side-by-side with a unit of military police intelligence officers as the Afghan war spiralled out of control in 2006, according to heavily censored witness transcripts filed with the Military Police Complaints Commission.
The spy agency's previously unknown role in questioning detainees adds a new dimension to the controversy about the handling and possible torture of prisoners by Afghan security forces.
Ottawa calls for review of detainee documents
CBC NewsThe federal government has asked a former Supreme Court of Canada judge to review whether there would be "injurious" effects if some Afghan detainee documents were made public.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said Friday in the House of Commons he was appointing Frank Iacobucci to go over documents relating to the handing over of detainees to Afghan authorities by Canadian Forces.
"In the case of injurious information, he will report to me on whether the information or a summary of it can be disclosed and report on the form of disclosure or any conditions on disclosure," Nicholson said.
He called it "an independent, comprehensive review."
Jail rests on boosting prisoner total
By THE CITY is banking on the federal government sending more people to jail for longer periods of time if its hope of an economy-boosting jail here is to be realized.
A city co-sponsored feasibility study lists three pieces of legislation the federal government wants passed, each one of which would result in more people headed for federal jail cells.
Tories "dropped ball" on selling prorogation: Duffy, PEI Senator also rules out legalizing marijuana and proportional representation
By Desmond Devoy, Ottawa East EMCEMC News - Senator Mike Duffy has admitted that the Harper government "dropped the ball," in explaining the reasons behind its decision to prorogue Parliament.
While the House of Commons has resumed sitting this week for the first time since December, with both a Speech from the Throne and a budget scheduled to be delivered, Senator Duffy felt that the Conservative government could have done a better job selling its decision to suspend parliament.
Ignoring opposition, Tories force through rights-agency appointment
Jane Taber, Globe and Mail1. Gerard Latulippe it is. At the 11th hour – well, at 10:20 p.m. last night – the Foreign Affairs Minister announced via press release that Mr. Latulippe, the National Democrat Institute’s former regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, is the new head of the troubled Montreal-based human rights agency, Rights & Democracy.
Tories to freeze MP salaries
Bruce Campion-Smith Tonda MacCharles, The StarOTTAWA – The Conservative government says it intends to “lead by example” as it proposes freezing the salaries of the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, MPs and Senators as it moves to rein in a big deficit.
The pledge is contained in the speech from the throne delivered Wednesday afternoon on Parliament Hill by Governor General Michaelle Jean. The Prime Minister now makes $315,462 and MPs take home $157,731. Cabinet ministers make $233,247.
And in a move that could have broad implications for government operations, Stephen Harper’s government is also freezing the operating budgets of federal departments.
What does “Tough on Crime” Mean?
Harper’s tough-on-crime policy may just hurt Aboriginal women By Amy German
Prime Minister Stephen Harper ushered in five new senators at the end of January to help solidify his tough-on-crime policy, but tough on crime might just mean being tougher on some of Canada’s most marginalized people.
