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Speech
From Throne
Throne Speech 2001
Safe Communities
January 30, 2001
Feeling secure in our homes and on our streets is
a fundamental right of Canadian citizenship.
And taking action to protect this right is a
fundamental obligation of government -- one that our government has lived up to
with firmness, leadership and innovative solutions.
We have a balanced strategy, based on the premise
that a safer Canada is one where crime is not only punished but prevented.
Canadians can be confident that their communities
are among the safest in the world, and will continue to be so And we are
committed to working with our partners to ensure that our streets and
communities are safer still.
A Record of Achievement
We have passed one of the toughest gun control
laws in the world.
We have also:
- tightened rules for early parole hearings;
- made it possible to obtain DNA samples from
suspects in crimes of physical violence;and,
- cracked down on child prostitution and
child sex tourism.
We introduced amendments to the Criminal Code
that will strengthen the voice of victims of crime in the criminal justice
system..
The National Strategy of Community Safety and
Crime Prevention has provided $32 million annually to encourage communities
to develop innovative, grass-roots crime prevention programs and partnerships.
The Government has developed a Youth Justice
Strategy, to update the Young Offenders Act and address the issues around youth
crime.
We passed legislation covering the proceeds of
crime.
In the 2000 Budget, the Government allocated no
less than $1.5 billion to the RCMP, CSIS, CIC and others in order to give
these organizations the tools they need to do their job.
The new Extradition Act expands Canada’s
capacity to extradite and responds to the problem of borderless crimes, such as
organized crime.
Since 1994, the government’s Anti-Smuggling
Initiative has led to 17,000 smuggling related charges in excess of
$113 million as well as the identification of $118 million in evaded
taxes and duties.
2001 SFT Commitments
We will:
Continue to work with partners to implement a
balanced approach to crime;
- Focussing on prevention as much as punishment;
- Strengthening penalties for serious crime;
and
- Considering the needs of victims.
Take aggressive steps to combat organized crime
including:
- Stronger anti-gang laws and measures to
protect members of the justice system from intimidation;
- Enhanced tools to deal with emerging
threats such as cybercrime and terrorism;
- Safeguarding children from crime, including
from criminals on the Internet;
- Steps to ensure our laws protect children
from those who would prey on their vulnerability.
Reintroduce legislation on dealing with young
offenders which will:
- Encourage alternatives to custody for
non-violent offenders, and emphasize their rehabilitation and re-integration
into society; and
- Toughen consequences for older more violent
youth.
Work with provinces/territories/communities to
strengthen the capacity of local communities to deal with conflict, prevent
crime and address drug use.
Take measures to significantly reduce the
percentage of Aboriginal people entering the criminal justice system so that
within a generation it is no higher than the Canadian average.
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