Lenient Sentences have led to increased gun crimes
It is very interesting to note that when one or more Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan (or elsewhere) are killed in action while performing a duty imposed on them by our National government, the Provincial and National leaders of the political parties not in power are very quick to criticize, pontificate and otherwise advance their solution of why Canadians should not be subjected to such violence.
Canadians kill Canadians by the hundreds with restricted or illegal weapons each year in Toronto. No comparison can be made between the total death count of the Military in Afghanistan employed in an honourable profession and the civilian population in Toronto subjected to a dishonourable criminal element. Yet, no comparable criticism, pontification or solution is proffered by those same politicians for this crime.
Most will claim that a "total ban" on illegal or restricted weapons is necessary or that more Police on the streets is required or blame the next higher level of Government for their inaction. It should be noted that photo radar does not stop speeding and traffic-control lights; stop signs or yield signs have no impression on some drivers. Speed limits are largely ignored.
Complete and utter disdain and contempt for the Law and Canadian judicial sentences are practiced by the criminal element of our society. They know, only too well, that the "do-gooders", "bleeding hearts" and the "hand-wringers" portion of the Canadian society will have more influence on the justice system than anything the silent majority of Canadians would prefer.
Until politicians at all levels of Government have the will, intestinal fortitude and backbone to unite as a group to quell the undermining of our way of life, no change in the status quo will ever happen.
For example - the criminal element know that it is a lenient justice system in Canada. The criminal "appears to have" more "rights" than a law-abiding citizen. So they "milk" the system by various legal avenues and plea-bargaining. A life sentence to a criminal is whatever "parole opportunities" his Lawyer can bargain for.
How often have convictions for Murder 1 and Murder 2 been reduced to Manslaughter with sentences of less than 15 years as a result of plea-bargaining? The accused is on the "street" to re-offend after having served only two-thirds of his sentence.
How frustrating this must be to the Police and to the general population!
What price do we put on life in Canada? The media would tell us that it is prohibitively expensive to build jails and eventually, if all criminals served their life sentences, we would have more offenders waiting to get into jail than we have jails to warehouse them. Yet, they are the first to say: "Keep him in jail and throw away the key!"
The message sent to criminals in Canada is: "If we catch you, don't worry! Be Happy! Just promise that you will never to do that again!" Yeah, right!!
The message sent to criminals in Canada should be:
"Canada's Federal representatives are rewriting the Criminal Code to counter this century's criminal mind-set.
Any person caught in the commission of, or abetting in, an indictable offense wherein an illegal or restricted weapon was, or has been, used in the commission of the crime is automatically subject to incarceration without bail until the offense has been tried in a court of law.
Any person convicted of a murder, regardless of the degree of intent, will be sentenced to imprisonment without parole for an amount of time equal to the length of time his/her victim would have been statistically expected to live or for a period no less than 25 years if the victim was 50 years of age or older.
Any person found guilty in the use of alcohol or other substance abuse while operating a mechanized vehicle and is convicted in the death of another person or persons as a result of the operation of that mechanized vehicle, will be sentenced to imprisonment without parole for an amount of time equal to the length of time his/her victim would have been statistically expected to live or for a period no less than 25 years if any victim was 50 years of age or older.
No person will be permitted to interpret the Criminal Code of Canada in a manner contradictory to or supplemental to those proceedings argued and enacted by the Government of Canada."
Threats have not and do not work.
Actions will.
Only the criminal element of society recognizes and practices this no-brainer!!
Yours truly,
RD Bowman, UE CD
St Catherines ON