Speech
From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)
PRIME MINISTER HARPER CHAMPIONS CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM AT POLICE TRIBUTE EVENT
April 26, 2007
Thornhill, Ontario
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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you, Ron for your kind introduction.
And thank you very much for that warm welcome.
It's a pleasure to be here tonight as we express appreciation to all 1,300 members of the York Regional Police Force, and as we honour the exceptional work of the six men and women who are this year's recipients of awards for excellence in policing.
I don't envy the selection committee. If it had been up to me, there would have been 1,300 awards handed out tonight.
I don't say this because I can't make a decision, but because I believe everybody who chooses a career in policing deserves to be recognized and rewarded.
Every day, police officers put on the uniform to serve and protect your fellow Canadians.
We ask not only that you uphold the law, but also the highest levels of ethics, fairness and professionalism.
We ask you to be empathetic in tragic situations, and fearless in dangerous ones.
And sometimes we even ask you to risk your lives for what's right.
The work you do, in my opinion, is public service of the highest order, deserving of the highest praise.
So please let's give our police officers a hearty, well-deserved round of applause.
Tonight I want to talk about criminal justice reform in Canada.
I think it's important for us to appreciate how fortunate we are compared with many other places in the world.
To understand why we have relatively low crime rates.
And to think about what we need to do to keep it that way.
Because even if Canada's crime rates are low by international standards,
they are still very high by our own historical standards.
When I was a boy growing up in Toronto, we knew nothing of street gangs or crack houses.
And gun crime was almost unheard of.
That began to change in the 1960s.
And during the next three decades, the violent crime rate in Canada more than tripled.
The crime boom was by no means unique to Canada: It happened in most Western developed countries.
But in some ways, it was more shocking for us.
Our founding Constitution asserts that "peace, order and good government" are our highest objectives, and our country had been called the "peaceable kingdom."
We had been proud of our safe streets and communities, particularly proud of the contrast between our cities and the American ones not far away.
We had earned them by working hard, paying our taxes, looking after our families, and getting along with our neighbours.
So when crime rates took off, we felt betrayed. Like the victim of a mugging or a home invasion, we felt violated.
Under these circumstances, you might have expected policymakers and the courts to get tougher on crime.
Instead, they moved in the other direction.
And the scales of justice became unbalanced.
That has been the story of the Canadian justice system for too long.
Lawmakers have failed to make public safety a top priority, to restore balance in the justice system, and to rebuild our peaceable kingdom.
Until now.
Canada's New Government, in its first year, introduced no fewer than 11 crime bills.
These include laws that would:
We promised Canadians during the last election campaign that we would deliver on these justice measures, and that is exactly what we intend to do.
These measures have been making their way through this minority Parliament very slowly.
Next week, in fact, several of these bills are coming up for debate and votes.
I hope that good will and common sense will prevail in these deliberations, but I would suggest that you not hesitate to pressure members of Parliament of all parties to get on with passing this legislation.
So you will have the tools you need to continue making the communities you serve safer and stronger.
Now, I know you're already doing an outstanding job. York Region has one of the lowest urban crime rates in the country.
This is all the more impressive in light of the relatively high crime rates that afflict some jurisdictions in the region.
Your success undoubtedly reflects the policing skills and dedication of everyone in this room.
But does this mean we no longer have to be vigilant about keeping our communities safe?
Of course not. To paraphrase a saying, the price of safe streets is eternal vigilance.
In fact, Canadian crime rates in some categories have begun to rise again in recent years.
For instance, the most recent report by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics shows increases in homicide, attempted murder, serious assaults, and robbery.
Gang-related homicides here in Ontario doubled in a single year, and 70% of those murders involved guns.
In response to these trends, Canadians have been very clear: They want better, stronger, more consistent leadership on crime.
And that's what they're getting from Canada's New Government.
We've set a new direction, dumping ill-advised legal initiatives like the decriminalization of marijuana, and introducing legislation designed to produce real, measurable reductions in crime.
Let's talk specifics.
One of the most important bills we've put forward would impose mandatory prison sentences for criminals convicted of using guns in the commission of serious, violent crimes.
Under this bill, for crimes like attempted murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery and extortion, the mandatory minimum sentence would be five years for a first offence and seven years for second and subsequent convictions.
To fight organized crime, another important bill we've introduced would reverse the onus on bail applications for people accused of serious crimes involving firearms.
The way things stand now, as you know, the Crown has to show why bail should be denied. Under our law, the accused in certain cases would have to show why bail should be granted.
We believe this would reduce witness intimidation, lower flight risks, improve public confidence in the system, and enhance public safety.
Police and government officials across Canada have expressed support for this bill.
Toronto Mayor David Miller backs it.
And Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty has urged his federal cousins to pass it.
In other words, our initiative is widely recognized as a practical, realistic and necessary response to a serious and growing threat to public safety.
I hope all parties in the House of Commons will eventually get onside with this bill.
Just as they did in December, when we passed a bill making street racing a criminal offence in Canada.
Too many innocent lives had been lost in accidents.
Our new law sends a powerful message to street racers: You're committing a serious crime and when you get caught you will be treated accordingly, including appropriate prison sentences and driving prohibitions.
We have also taken steps on reforming how judges are appointed in this country.
We have opened up the process to make it more transparent and accountable.
In fact, we made history by allowing parliamentarians to publicly question the first Supreme Court of Canada justice appointed on our watch.
And we have opened up the Judicial Advisory Committees the bodies that recommend judges for the federal courts to include representatives from the law enforcement community.
Critics have argued that allowing police to participate in the selection of judges compromises the administration of justice.
They have accused us of politicizing the judicial selection process.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
We simply believe the Canadian justice system should be more broadly reflective of the country and the people it serves.
Adding police officers to the Advisory Committees will broaden their perspective. It will result in a more balanced selection process.
And anyone who suggests police won't do their best to help us find the best judges doesn't know our police very well.
They don't know that your profession attracts our best, brightest and bravest young people.
They don't know the passion you have for keeping your communities safe.
The commitment you have to enforcing the law fairly and honestly.
And the compassion you have for victims of crime.
We share this compassion.
For every crime, there is a victim. And for every victim there is a story of trauma, loss and pain.
Yet the rights of victims have become almost an afterthought in our justice system.
While it's true we must take extraordinary care to protect the rights of the accused, we must be equally attentive to the rights of the victims, who will often live with the effects of the crime for the rest of their lives.
That's why, earlier this year, our Government created Canada's first Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, and why we pledged substantial new funding to support programs and services for crime victims.
It's also why, last year, we budgeted substantial funds to provide young people at risk of taking up a criminal lifestyle with community-based educational, cultural, sporting and vocational opportunities.
All these initiatives, ladies and gentlemen, are intended to rebalance the scales of justice in Canada.
And they are all aimed at preserving the core values of Canada's civil society the values of our great country freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
I want to conclude by thanking you for everything you do to uphold these values.
As your motto says, Deeds Speak.
And your deeds speak loudly and clearly about your commitment to a better, stronger, safer Canada.
Thank you.
And enjoy the evening.
The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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posted by a Confidential Source @ 4/26/2007
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