Attorney General phoney as a $3. bill
(Toronto) _ Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant is continuing his headline grabbing efforts to convince the public that the McGuinty Liberals are tough on crime when behind the scenes they have closed down effective crime-fighting programs and are contemplating initiatives like increased use of pre-charge diversions and the closure of jails, according to P.C. justice critic & Tory House Leader Bob Runciman.
“If you look at what they’ve done in the justice area in over 2 years and what they’re contemplating doing, you quickly realize this attorney general’s tough on crime act is phoney as a $3. bill” charged Runciman, a former Solicitor General.
In the youth crime area Runciman pointed out that the Youth Criminal Justice Act, that the Attorney General is now expressing concern about, was strongly supported by the McGuinty Liberals.
“The Attorney General suggests he wants to get tough on youth crime but two of the first things they did upon assuming government were to close down Camp Turnaround, a highly successful strict discipline camp for young offenders and transfer young offenders responsibility from Corrections to a new Children’s Ministry” said Runciman.
“The Liberals are playing a shell game with the public telling them on one hand they’re concerned about youth crime and on the other emptying young offender custody beds to save money and allowing young offenders to get off with a warning letter for stealing a car” asserted the MPP.
Runciman also went after Bryant on his government’s proposals to deter gun crime. “He (Bryant) and his premier were missing in action on gun violence this summer” said Runciman and all we’ve gotten since is empty promises and embarrassing news conferences.”
“Bryant’s proposal to review Bill C68 is especially ironic given his party’s unwavering support for a useless gun registry that has wasted at least $2 billion tax dollars” argued Runciman. “Think of all the frontline border and police officers that could have been hired with that money.”
The veteran MPP suggested several initiatives that Bryant could and should be pursuing:
- Restricting judges’ ability to give 2 or 3 to 1 credit for time served in a provincial remand centre.
- Operate selected courts on a 24 hour basis to clear backlogs and eliminate plea bargaining for gun-related and other violent crime.
- Support mandatory parole ineligibility for offenders who commit crimes while on parole.
“Bryant’s double talk compromises public safety and erodes public confidence in the justice system” concluded Runciman. “ Ontarians are entitled to see tangible and specific action. Media releases are not enough.”
