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Are longer sentences, mandatory minimum sentences and more prisons the best way to combat crime in Canada? The Conservative government welcomed the Supreme Court of Canada's acknowledgment that mandatory prison sentences have a place in our criminal law and are appropriate for murderers, pedophiles, child molesters and in cases of gun violence. Criminals who have committed serious crimes belong in jail where they are not a threat to families and communities. As MP for the Northwest Territories, I will support the Conservative government's commitment of being tough of those who commit serious crimes and endanger our communities. Should Canadians be prepared to give up some freedoms and/or charter rights in order to combat the threat of terrorism in Canada? There is no greater rejection of Canadian values than an act of terrorism. The Conservative government has sent a very clear message: those who are tried and convicted of terrorism, espionage, treason or taking up arms against our Canadian Armed Forces will not have a right to enjoy the freedoms and rights enjoyed by Canadians. Many other democratic countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as an overwhelming majority of Canadians agree with the stance of the Conservative government. We cannot stand idly by in the face of the very real threat of international jihadi terrorism. Should immigration levels in Canada be raised, lowered or kept where they are now? The Conservative government appreciates that we are a country of immigrants whose identities are moulded by the stories of ancestors from hundreds of lands and that the success of Canada's economy depends on a skilled and educated workforce. It is important that we combine the best of our intellectual and natural resources to create jobs, growth and opportunity. Since elected in 2006, the Conservative government has welcomed the highest levels of immigration in 70 years and has introduced a number of measures to help newcomers to Canada and to better protect Canada's immigration system. These include the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act and the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. Michael McLeod /b>
Should marijuana be legal in Canada?
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 Michael McLeod: supports decriminalization and regulation of marijuana in Canada. |
A Liberal government will pass smart laws that tax and strictly regulate marijuana, to protect our kids while preventing millions of dollars from going into the pockets of criminal organizations and street gangs.
This isn't wild theory but precisely what happened after Colorado regulated and taxed marijuana: cannabis prosecutions dropped 77 per cent, burglaries and robberies declined and the state has collected an additional $23.6 million in revenue.
Are longer sentences, mandatory minimum sentences and more prisons the best way to combat crime in Canada?
No. Stephen Harper's policies attempt to cure the problem after it has arisen, at enormous cost.
The American experience over the last 40 years have shown that hard-line punishment of crime simply doesn't work, to the point that they're moving away from it after several states have forced to near-bankruptcy.
The Liberal Party supports preventing crime by eliminating the reasons most people commit crime: poverty, lack of opportunity, mental health challenges.
We will make no apologies for supporting people, for improving lives, which all the evidence shows is the best and most cost-efficient way of reducing crime.
Should Canadians be prepared to give up some freedoms and/or charter rights in order to combat the threat of terrorism in Canada?
Introducing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is only one part of the Liberal Party's long history of defending human rights in Canada. We believe that a key part of the federal government's role is ensuring every Canadian can safely pursue the full exercise of their rights.
Charter rights are, and should be, subject only to reasonable limitations that are justifiable in a free and democratic society.
That's why we accept limiting criminals' freedom of liberty by jailing them, or limiting hate speech, for instance.
The Liberal Party of Canada will always defend Canadians' safety to exercise their rights.
Should immigration levels in Canada be raised, lowered or kept where they are now?
Canada was built by immigration. Immigrants bring tremendous talents to Canada, and decades of experience and evidence show that immigrants integrate effectively, and strongly contribute to the economy and to creating a healthier, more diverse society.
Stephen Harper has mismanaged immigration in more ways than can be listed here, from temporary foreign workers to the refugee crisis, from processing times to refugee health care.
A Liberal government will prioritize family reunification, restore refugee health care, and improve processing times.
Furthermore, we will allow an additional 25,000 refugees from the Middle East.
Canada can and should do more to assist in the global refugee crisis.
Although New Democrats are in favour of decriminalizing marijuana usage, we think the issue is of critical importance to a very small percentage of Northerners.
 Dennis Bevington would support repealing Bill C-51, a law he says infringes on Canadian charter rights. - |
Northerners are concerned about health care, housing and homelessness, family violence, child care, the cost of living, climate change and good sustainable jobs for our young people. Addressing these issues is a priority for Northerners and they are what Dennis Bevington and the New Democrats will take on when they are elected with a majority on Oct. 19th.
Fixing the marijuana laws will be done, but the main focus of a New Democratic Party government will be fixing the damage done by the Harper Conservatives.
Are longer sentences, mandatory minimum sentences and more prisons the best way to combat crime in Canada?
Longer sentences, mandatory minimums and more prisons are sometimes the easy answers, but are not necessarily effective. It's boots on the ground that fight crime.
To help police protect our communities, an NDP government will provide stable, ongoing funding to put 2,500 new officers on the streets and keep them there.
And, we're also going to clean up Ottawa. After a decade in power Conservative operatives, bagmen and senators are charged with bribery, election fraud, illegal lobbying and more.
Canadians have had enough of Liberal and Conservative corruption.
Only the NDP is committed to taking action on scandals and the senate.
Should Canadians be prepared to give up some freedoms and/or charter rights in order to combat the threat of terrorism in Canada?
Terrorism is a real threat and public safety is a top priority for any government. But Canadians shouldn't have to choose between their security and their rights.
That's what the Conservatives' Bill C-51, supported by the Liberals, forces Canadians to do. C-51 gives Canadian Security Intelligence Service broad new powers without adequate safeguards and criminalizes legitimate protest.
An NDP government will repeal Bill C-51 and take an approach to terrorism based on these principles: strong oversight of security and intelligence agencies; appropriate resources for security and intelligence agencies to track and identify threats to public security, and working with at-risk communities on counter-radicalization programs.
Should immigration levels in Canada be raised, lowered or kept where they are now?
Immigration helps grow our economy, foster innovation and increase trade.
More than that, it's part of who we are as a country.
But application backlogs at Citizenship and Immigration Canada have put 10,000 lives on hold for years, leaving families facing financial hardship and uncertainty.
An NDP government will speed up processing times and reduce backlogs, giving greater priority to family reunification, especially to keep children and parents together.
We'll create an Immigration Ombudsperson to investigate problems and resolve complaints and we'll make the visa system more transparent and accountable with clear rules and a new appeal process.
Whether it is for sake of society at large, budgets or industry, marijuana legalization, taxation and regulation makes sense.
This is a part of the Criminal Code that between one-tenth and one-fifth of Canadians regularly flout.
When we imprison these people, we almost permanently remove them from the workforce.
Beyond this, almost half a million Canadians are involved in the cultivation of marijuana, nevermind distribution and other associated industries.
This industry is a black market and the profits flow to gangs and drug dealers rather than public coffers.
 John Moore says infringing on charter rights 'starts one down a scary path with a very uncertain end.' |
Portugal's 14-year decriminalization experiment and Colorado's more recent legalization experiment are great examples to draw workable policy and strong datasets from. Above and beyond this, the legalization of marijuana will inevitably lead to the deregulation of hemp, a market that Canada is uniquely poised to dominate if we can be first to market.
Are longer sentences, mandatory minimum sentences and more prisons the best way to combat crime in Canada?
No. Crime is at an all-time low, not only in Canada but across much of the developed world.
As drugs should be within the purview of Health Canada, delinquent behaviour should be viewed in the scope of its social underpinnings.
Jail is a great place to learn to be a criminal.
A psychologist's office is a great place to begin to learn how to turn your anger and frustration into societal contributions.
Jails are expensive to operate and criminals are difficult to reintegrate.
Focusing on the root cause of criminal behaviour should be and has been significantly more effective than addressing it at its point of manifestation.
Should Canadians be prepared to give up some freedoms and/or charter rights in order to combat the threat of terrorism in Canada?
As the question is phrased, with an emphasis on 'threat', no.
As things stand today, you are significantly more likely to be killed by a moose than by a terrorist.
Changing the foundations of our democracy on the basis of threats is how the terrorists win, it plays into their game and gives credence to issues not yet manifest.
If these issues do eventually make themselves manifest, I think Canadians should be prepared to give up some freedoms, but never in violation of their charter rights. That starts one down a very scary path with a very uncertain end.
Should immigration levels in Canada be raised, lowered or kept where they are now?
As with the third question I think some clarification is necessary.
Many people conflate immigrants and refugees. These are two separate and distinct groups of people.
Continued immigration is vital for Canada's continued growth due to our current birth rates.
I think we should make it easier for foreigners to transfer their credentials to their Canadian equivalent but I think immigration levels are pretty good as they stand currently.
Our intake of refugees, however, should be dictated by global circumstance, not our own needs.
Currently, the world needs Canada to intake more refugees than we have.
I think we should step up to the plate, in a classically Canadian sense.
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