Pubdate: Tue, 10 Oct 2006
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Janice Tibbetts

PROVINCES WANT HELP TO FINANCE TORY CRIME PLAN

Tougher Approach Will Strain System; Ministers To Make Pitch For Assistance

Several provincial justice ministers want the federal government to 
help them pay for the Conservative government's get-tough crime 
agenda, which they said will cost the provinces more money by putting 
extra strain on their prison and court systems.

The pitch will be made to federal Justice Minister Vic Toews and 
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day when they fly into western 
Newfoundland tomorrow for a meeting with their provincial counterparts.

"Obviously, all ministers are going to be interested in the impacts 
of the federal criminal justice reforms and how that will affect the 
provincial justice systems," said Newfoundland's Conservative justice 
minister, Tom Marshall, who will chair the meeting.

"It's going to have a major effect on our system. We will need more 
room in our prisons, we will need more prosecutors and we will need 
more legal-aid lawyers, so it's going to have a financial effect."

Tougher law-and-order measures are a central element of the Harper 
government's agenda.

Last spring, Mr. Toews and Mr. Day introduced legislation that, if 
passed, will put more people in jail and keep them there longer. One 
proposal is to impose minimum mandatory jail terms for a variety of 
gun-related crimes. Another proposal calls for severely restricting 
conditional sentences such as house arrest.

Mr. Day has acknowledged the measures could cost the system more 
money and he said the federal government has set aside as much as 
$245 million over five years to pay for additional prison cells.

But the provinces -- which are partners in justice and run provincial 
jails where people serve sentences of under two years -- question how 
they are going to pay on their end.

"The costs will be borne almost entirely by the provinces, and not 
just on the capital side, building new correctional facilities, but 
with legal-aid and Crown prosecutors," said Saskatchewan Justice 
Minister Frank Quennell.

Through spokesman Mike Storeshaw, Mr. Toews declined an interview in 
advance of the meeting. However, Mr. Toews hinted last spring there 
would be no additional money for provinces to carry out the justice 
changes. He said at the time that the provinces largely supported the 
measures, so they should share in the costs.

The two-day gathering is Mr. Toews's and Mr. Day's first with their 
provincial counterparts. A top item is prospective changes to laws 
governing dangerous offenders.

The Conservatives are expected to table a bill this fall that will 
make it easier for prosecutors to seek dangerous-offender status, a 
designation that jails an offender indefinitely.

The government's plan would make it a presumption that certain sex 
offenders and violent offenders would be declared dangerous offenders 
after committing three serious crimes, unless they can present a 
compelling case to the contrary.
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