Strong Leadership That’s Tough On Crime. Bill C-2, The Tackling Violent Crime Act, Receives Royal Assent.

March 03, 2008

Canadians have come one step closer to safer streets when the Tackling Violent Crime Act was passed this week following a long delay in the Liberal-dominated Senate, says Langley MP Mark Warawa.

The Tackling Violent Crime Act cracks down on gun violence, repeat offenders, impaired driving, and the sexual exploitation of children. It responds to the clear priorities of Canadians: victims should be respected, children should be protected and dangerous criminals should be held accountable for their crimes.

"Dangerous criminals will now get the jail time and penalties they deserve...our children now have a new degree of protection and our communities will become safer,” says Warawa. “This has been a huge step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done."

This new law contains long awaited measures that will help safeguard Canadians against those who commit serious and violent crimes. These tough new penalties will crack down on gun criminals, repeat violent or sexual offenders, impaired drivers, and sexual predators targeting our youth.

“We are proud to have pushed for these long overdue changes for the past two years,” says the MP. “This Government will continue to deliver on what is important to Canadians – the safety and security of their communities – because protecting society is a priority for this Government, not an afterthought.”

“These new protections were a long time in coming,” says Warawa. Despite being given a clear mandate to tackle crime, the Conservative Government’s tough legislation was, for months, obstructed and delayed by Liberals, both in the House of Commons and in the un-elected, un-accountable Senate.

The Tackling Violent Crime Act strengthens the Criminal Code in the following five areas:

• tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes;
• new bail provisions which require that those accused of serious gun crimes show why they shouldn’t be kept in jail while awaiting trial;
• better protection for youth from adult sexual predators by increasing the age of protection for sexual activity from 14 years to 16 years;
• more effective sentencing and monitoring to prevent dangerous, high-risk offenders from offending again; and
• new ways to detect and investigate drug-impaired driving and stronger penalties for alcohol impaired driving.