Criminals will no longer be given two-for-one credit for time served in custody.

Bill C-25 will cap ‘dead time’ to a one-to-one ratio instead of double time, which is typically what a judge will credit a convicted criminal for any pretrial jail time already served.

The legislation was supported by all levels of the federal government some time ago but its implementation was delayed six months to allow for all levels of government to be fully prepared, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said.

“This bill was passed and received royal assent in October 2009, but the Harper cabinet waited until now to bring the law into force — a delay which is 100 percent the fault of the government,” said a press release from the office of the Liberal Official Opposition.

Nicholson said a six-month delay in giving royal assent to bills of this type is a standard procedure.

Langley MP Mark Warawa credits the work of the Conservatives for getting tough on crime.

“Our government is committed to ensuring that criminals serve a sentence that reflects the severity of their crimes,” said Warawa.