That's a simple whodunnit that the Conservatives will solve for you: the Liberals, they say, will be killing C-25 and twelve other tough-on-crime bills if they force an election this fall.
"What is of concern with an election looming is the number of pieces of legislation that we have on the tackling-crime front that would be at risk," Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan warned Wednesday.
But it was the Tories themselves who killed crime bills last year, when it was Prime Minister Stephen Harper who called the election.
As the Conservatives ratchet up a campaign to make the Liberals and other opposition parties bear the blame for a fall election, some of the criticisms may clash with the record. Their attack on an opposition forcing the fourth election in 51/2 years may be weakened because they triggered the past two.
On Tuesday, the Federal Court of Canada was hearing arguments into whether Mr. Harper broke his own law setting a fixed 2009 election date when he called the 2008 general election. If the court rules quickly, it could unsettle the anti-election arguments Mr. Harper is aiming at the opposition.
"The line that they're being opportunist is simply hypocritical for the government, given what they did last September," said Duff Conacher, the long-time government-ethics gadfly who sued Mr. Harper in Federal Court.
On Wednesday, Mr. Van Loan was complaining that an "unnecessary election" would kill 13 bills winding their way through Parliament that would end "faint-hope" parole for murderers, stiffen drug sentences and reduce house arrest.
What he didn't mention was that Mr. Harper's 2008 election call also killed bills on drug crime, youth crime and identity theft.
Bills that are already winding through Parliament, including some that have passed the Commons and are before the Senate, are wiped out by an election, and must start at square one in a new Parliament.
One of the bills Mr. Van Loan fretted over is legislation to address identity theft – a bill that was also killed when Mr. Harper called last year's election.
"This will be the third election we've had that bill before the House," said New Democrat justice critic Joe Comartin, complaining that Canada's identity-theft laws are years behind those in Europe and the U.S.
Crime has proved to be such a no-risk political winner that the Harper government has for three years stacked up a long queue of crime bills in Parliament, sometimes letting them sit without debate, and blaming the opposition for stalling them.
Mr. Comartin said the Conservatives are transparently slowing the progress of some crime bills so that they can use it as a political weapon, mainly against the Liberals.
"Pushing the crime button has worked for them fairly effectively," he said. "They'd love to be able to beat up on the Liberals."
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
416 225 2777
2 comments:
Thanks to you and Steve V. (And People ask 'Why') for covering alot of ground. This needs to be covered AND shown to the general public. If only MSM were so diligent with the FACTS, we might have an informed electorate. LK
Conservatives are good at beating up on 12 year olds but do nothing about their friends in high places do the white-collar kind of crime.
Bullies, Retrogrades & Hypocrites is all what they are!
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