New Anti-Crime Bill Enacted

Key election promise kept by Conservatives

Ottawa – Yesterday the House of Commons voted for the last time on the Conservative government’s anti-crime Bill C-10.  This bill will introduce several new measures including better protection for children from sexual predators, changes to the young offenders laws, and harsher penalties for gangs who peddle drugs to kids.

The bill passed third reading in the House of Commons last December.  Every Conservative who was present at the time voted in favour of the bill and 127 Opposition MPs voted against.

The bill was then amended by the Senate, which required the approval of the House of Commons before becoming law.  That final vote of approval came today

Local MP Scott Reid was among the 154 Conservative MPs who stood in the House of Commons yesterday to support this bill, saying that many of the changes were long overdue.

“The measures in this bill are all parts of bills that have been introduced in past years but were stalled and blocked by the Liberals and the NDP.  Last May, Canadians voted for a Majority Conservative government on the promise that we would pass this very bill within 100 sitting days in Parliament.”

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged to ensure the passage of this anti-crime bill within the first 100 days that the House of Commons convened meetings.  He has now kept that promise by today passing the bill on the 94th sitting day since the last election.

“Our government has been pretty clear about our priorities when it comes to crime.  We believe in helping victims cope, not in coddling criminals,” concluded Scott Reid.

The Safe Streets and Communities Act re-introduced the following reforms which were proposed in previous legislation prior to the most recent election:

• The Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Act (former Bill C-54), which proposes increased penalties for sexual offences against children, as well as creates two new offences aimed at conduct that could facilitate or enable the commission of a sexual offence against a child;
• Sébastien’s Law (Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders) (former Bill C-4), which would ensure that violent and repeat young offenders are held accountable for their actions and that the protection of society is a paramount consideration in the treatment of young offenders by the justice system;
• The Ending House Arrest for Property and Other Serious Crimes by Serious and Violent Offenders Act (former Bill C-16), which would eliminate the use of conditional sentences, or house arrest, for serious and violent crimes;
• The Increasing Offender Accountability Act (former Bill C-39), which would enshrine a victim’s right to participate in parole hearings and address inmate accountability, responsibility, and management under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act;
• The Eliminating Pardons for Serious Crimes Act (former Bill C-23B), which would extend the ineligibility periods for applications for a record suspension (currently called a “pardon”) to five years for summary conviction offences and to ten years for indictable offences;
• The Keeping Canadians Safe (International Transfer of Offenders) Act (former Bill C-5), which would add additional criteria that the Minister of Public Safety could consider when deciding whether or not to allow the transfer of a Canadian offender back to Canada to serve their sentence; and
• The Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and related amendments to the State Immunity Act (former Bill S-7), which would allow victims of terrorism to sue perpetrators and supporters of terrorism, including listed foreign states, for loss or damage that occurred as a result of an act of terrorism committed anywhere in the world.

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For further information contact:

Phil Joannou
Communications Assistant to Scott Reid, MP
613-947-2277

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