Canada’s Prime Minsiter Stephen Harper announced Wednesday (March 3) that his government will introduce new legislation “to ensure that for the most heinous offenders, and the most horrific crimes, a life sentence in Canada will henceforth mean exactly that, a sentence for life.”
The Prime Minister made the announcement not in the House of Commons, but at a public rally in the Toronto municipality of Scarborough, The legislation will be tabled by Justice Minister Peter Mackay next week. Mackay was present at the Prime Minister’s announcement.
“For too many years the welfare of the criminal was held up as the highest priority of criminal justice,” said the Prime Minister, and to cheers in the crowd, he pointed to victims’righs legislation the government had already passed which put “innocent victims back where they should have been all along at the very heart of our system of justice.”
The new legislation, if passed, would require, a mandatory sentence of life without parole for first degree murders involving: sexual assault; kidnapping or forcible confinement; terrorism or high treason; the killing of police officers or corrections officers; or, any first degree murders that are found to be of a particularly brutal nature
The new legislation would allow those convicted of the crimes listed in the legislation to petition the public safety minister for release after serving no less than 35 years, but “Decisions will not rest with an appointed board, but with the federal cabinet,” said the Prime Minister.
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda has a report.
ListenMore information:
Prime Minister’s press release – PM announces upcoming legislation to keep Canada’s most heinous criminals behind bars for life – here
CBC News – Stephen Harper proposes bill to deny parole for some murderers (includes video) – here
CBC News – Steven Blaney says life without parole bill coming before June (includes comments by Howard Sapers) – here
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