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Justice Minister wants opposition to reinstate crime bills

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 7:39pm
By BRYN WEESE, Parliamentary Bureau Toronto Sun
 
OTTAWA - Justice Minister Rob Nicholson is “hopeful” the opposition parties will agree to reinstate 14 crime bills that died with Parliament's prorogation late last year.
 
“What would their motives be not to agree? If a piece of legislation is good for Canadians ... why wouldn’t they give us their complete support?” Nicholson said Tuesday.
 
When Parliament was suspended in December, all government bills died but they can be reinstated where they were in the legislative process before prorogation in various ways, including with a majority vote in the House.
 
The 14 government-sponsored justice bills that died include imposing mandatory minimum sentencing for marijuana grow-ops of between five and 200 plants, increasing sentences for “white collar” fraud, tougher sentencing for auto thefts, and eliminating the “faint hope” parole clause for convicts serving life sentences, among others.
 
“To say, oh, they don’t like prorogation so they’re going to start opposing bills that better protect Canadian victims and law-abiding Canadians ...That’s a bad reason,” Nicholson said. “I’ve got questions for them if they are just going to hold this up because they’re in a snit about something.”
 
Nicholson made his appeal Tuesday while celebrating Bill C-25, which came into effect Tuesday and eliminates the courts’ practice of awarding prisoners a two-for-one - sometimes even three-for-one - credit for time served in pre-trial custody.
 
But both the Liberal and NDP justice critics shot back Tuesday that they aren¹t prepared to give the government a free ride.
 
NDP MP Joe Comartin and Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc both said their parties will review the crime legislation on a bill-by-bill basis.
 
“The government can no longer pretend that there’s some earth-shattering urgency to pass these,” LeBlanc said. “If the government was sincere about wanting to pass these criminal code changes, they wouldn’t have prorogued parliament and with the stroke of a pen, killed 14 justice bills.” Comartin said it’s likely the NDP won’t support the Conservatives’ grow-op bill.
 
“The drug bill is one we will likely be doing whatever we can to oppose,” he said. “The likelihood is they won’t get blanket support (for all of them).” But even if some of the government’s crime legislation isn’t reinstated and has to be introduced as new bills, Nicholson said he’s “more confident” they won’t face as many delays in the now Conservative-dominated Senate.
 
“I’m much more confident now with new committees at the Senate and the appointment of new senators, I have a much better chance of getting that legislation through,” Nicholson said.
 
bryn.weese@sunmedia.ca
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reply to "Justice Minister"

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 10:30am.

Mr. Nicholson,

Now that your boss Steve and your crew have had a nice holiday at our expense, you want Opposition parties to "reset" Parliament? Remember how you Conservatives stated that under our system of Parliamentary Democracy that the majority of Parliamentarians (MP's) could not form a Coalition Government?

Which is it Robbie, No to coalition a year ago because it left you rightwingers out of control, but a coalition to put all the work of the last 15 months back in place now, after Your Boss Steve pulled the "Perogie plug"????????????

After wasting the efforts of 308 elected MP's for the last 15 months, NOW you want to co-operate with the Majority in opposition ????

The quarter million of Canadians who joined a "Facebook" page awhile back got your attention? Just wait, the 40% who did NOT vote last time are watching very closely.

Keep on your path of idolizing the George Bush school of economic theory....More cops, more jails, more deregulation of financial institutions and more Corporate tax cuts to line the pockets of your friends, Pharmabiz, Big Banks and the Oilpatch.

Perhaps 34% of those who voted in 2008 supported you THEN, when your boss denied the fact the economy was collapsing during the middle of the election. I suspect even your core supporters may well stay home next time or wake up to the real world, Like the other 66% who absolutely did not vote Conservative.

In any case, we here in Ontario are just about to get the HST tax grab shoved up our wazzoo in July. If you think that we are going to roll over and play dead, you must have landed on your head when you fell off the turnip truck.

I certainly recomend to you Conservative idealogues who think we Canadians espouse U.S. Republican values...think again, then move to Crawford Texas with your buddy "Dubya" and be happy, just keep yer Colt on yer hip not under yer bum.

Have a good day.