Real Results.  Protecting Canadian Families.

May 02, 2008

Yesterday Canada officially became a little bit safer.

As of May 1st, three new laws from the Conservative Government’s Tackling Violent Crime Act went into effect.

The age of sexual consent has been officially increased from 14 to 16.

Individuals charged with gun crimes will find it much more difficult to get bail.

And criminals who are convicted of gun offences will face stiff mandatory minimum sentences that will keep them behind bars and off the streets.

For parents worried about sexual predators and families worried about rising gang and gun violence, this good news is long overdue. For 13 years, previous Liberal governments took a ‘see-no-evil,’ soft-on-crime approach to justice. They failed to hold dangerous and deviant offenders fully accountable for their actions.

In Opposition, Liberal MPs and Senators continued to try and blockade new legal protections for kids and families. The Stéphane Dion Liberals spent months obstructing the Tackling Violent Crime Act, and only backed down when they realized that the Conservative Government was prepared to fight an election over the issue.

Even today, the Stéphane Dion Liberals have hinted that they will weaken Canada’s crime laws should they climb back into power. Senior Dion Lieutenant Larry Bagnell has admitted that the Liberals plan to re-visit and re-open the new legal protections that are key to the Tackling Violent Crime Act. And Stéphane Dion himself has declared that the Liberals are laying down ‘markers’ on laws they would repeal or water down, should they ever get back into power.

Today, thanks to real leadership from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Government, Canadians are seeing safer neighbourhoods and streets.

By trying to block these new protections and threatening to take them away, Stéphane Dion reminds Canadians that he is not a leader and not worth the risk.