Speech From Throne 

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.

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.

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.