Pubdate: Fri, 07 Oct 2011
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2011 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Tobi Cohen

CRIME BILL TO COST $78 MILLION OVER 5 YEARS, TORIES SAY

Bulk of Expense Taken Up by Drug Provisions

Under pressure to put a dollar figure on its controversial omnibus 
crime bill, the federal government released figures Thursday that peg 
the cost at $78.6 million over five years.

The document indicates proposed mandatory minimum sentences for 
incest and sexual exploitation of children would result in additional 
correctional costs and that $10.9 million would be provided in the 
first two years.

Additional funding would be subject to approval thereafter.

The contentious drug portion of the bill -- which, among other 
things, sets minimum mandatory sentences for marijuana production in 
excess of five plants -- is expected to cost $67.7 million over five years.

According to government figures, there will be no additional federal 
costs related to measures that assist victims of terrorism, prevent 
the exploitation of vulnerable immigrants and get tough on repeat 
young offenders.

The government also anticipates no additional federal costs for 
proposals that would end house arrest for property and other serious 
crimes and eliminate pardons for violent and repeat offenders.

There are also no new funding requirements attached to amending the 
International Transfer of Offenders Act, according to government figures.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews 
tabled the breakdown at the end of a Commons committee hearing. Both 
ministers spent the hearing on the hot seat trying to defend the bill.

Before Thursday, the government had not provided a full costing and 
relied instead on a 2008 Justice Department study that estimated 
crime costs Canadians $99 billion a year and that much of it is 
"borne by victims." The figures released Thursday, however, do not 
take into account additional costs the provinces and territories may 
be forced to bear.

Under opposition questioning on the matter, Nicholson suggested it's 
not really an issue.

"The provinces are very well aware of what we are doing," he said, 
later noting the provinces even "asked us to bring these laws forward.

"It's been at least four years since I introduced this bill before 
Parliament and they have underlined to me what a problem drug 
trafficking is within the provinces, so again, they're well aware of 
the components of this bill."

Meanwhile, Canada's budget watchdog confirmed Thursday that he will 
undertake a full cost analysis of the Safe Streets and Communities 
Act, which passed second reading last week.

Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page said his office was "looking 
at C-10" following a request from both the NDP and the Liberals for 
an "independent costing."

"We have been encouraged to have a product ready for the second half 
of November," he said in an email.

"At this stage, we are going through the sub-components of the 
omnibus bill and identifying cost drivers, areas of potential fiscal 
materiality, data requirements, model approaches, issues to follow up, etc."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom