Former Progressive Conservative MP David Daubney recently spoke out about the government's omnibus crime bill, bill S-10, which is now in the Senate's hands. Daubney said recently at the news conference along with retired judges from Ontario and the Yukon which were discussing "safe and effective" responses to crime.
With a government omnibus crime bill on the verge of becoming law, Mr. Daubney said he felt compelled to issue a warning that federal priorities threaten to undo decades of correctional research and reform.
Daubney said a number of the bill's measures, including more mandatory minimum sentences and fewer conditional ones, and making it harder for offenders to get parole, will lead to a "burgeoning" prison population, a concern that has been expressed often during debate on the bill.
He accused the Harper government of latching onto a harsh correctional policy that could be easily marketed to the public.
“The policy is based on fear – fear of criminals and fear of people who are different,” he said. “I do not think these harsh views are deeply held.”
"I think fear is at the basis of much of the government's work here. And what it's going to do, unfortunately, is make Canadians, I think, more fearful and less safe," said Daubney, who was a member of Parliament in the 1980s and chaired the justice committee. He went on to work for the justice department after his work in the House of Commons.
Fewer guilty pleas, more trials, and longer trials.are predicted by Retired Ontario judge James Chadwick also adding mandatory minimum sentences take discretion away from judges and that one size does not fit all in sentencing,
"I'm a judge, I have to make my decisions on the best evidence," said retired judge Barry Stuart. "I haven't seen the best evidence for spending this incredible amount of money on something that we know doesn't work," he said.
Many of the government's proposed policies are unwarranted and unproven when it comes to improving public safety. Crime rates are dropping and experiences in other jurisdictions that have toughened sentencing and kept people in jail longer have proven to be ineffective and costly,
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Crime bill won't benefit victims, says former ombudsman
Crime bill threatens to undo decades of reform, former MP warns
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