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Crime bill will put pressure on Nunavut: justice minister
Daniel Shewchuk outlines concerns with Bill C-10 at committee meetingJeanne Gagnon Northern News Services Published Saturday, February 4, 2012
The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in Ottawa started public hearings on Feb. 1 on the proposed Bill C-10, which would toughen sentences for a number of crimes. The proposed bill contains nine previously-debated pieces of legislation that never became law. Daniel Shewchuk said he also told the committee on Feb. 2 about the financial restraints Nunavut is faced with delivering proper services through the court system and the correctional facilities. "Nunavut needs the flexibility to allow our judges to take in all the information and all the circumstances involving the community in the way they are passing sentencing," he said. During his close to 90-minute appearance before the committee, he told them more consultation moving forward with the federal government about Bill C-10 is needed. "We understand what Bill C-10 is about and there is a need for some things in Bill C-10," said Shewchuk. "However, the consequence of Bill C-10 are going to put a lot of pressure on Nunavut and a lot of pressure on our court system, on our funding and our capacity to deliver proper court services." According to a press release, Teresa Hughes, the executive assistant to Shewchuk, said he told the committee new mandatory minimum sentences would result in more inmates incarcerated for longer period, meaning higher costs to Nunavut. According to Hughes, the minister stated some of proposed provisions in Bill C-10 may also conflict with Inuit societal values, traditions and community-based justice principles. Shewchuk did agree with a number of senators' suggestion that a bill amendment allowing judicial direction when sentencing aboriginal offenders would address some of the territory's concerns, stated Hughes.
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