Message For Canada – February 2008

I don’t always agree with Ontario’s Premier, Dalton McGuinty, but he is right about one thing: it’s time for Parliament to pass Bill C-2, the Tackling Violent Crime Act.

C-2 is a single, comprehensive bill that would strengthen the Criminal Code by:

• Imposing mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes;
• Raising the age of consent to protect our young people from predators;
• Toughening the bail rules when guns are used to commit a crime;
• Cracking down on drug-impaired driving; and
• Providing better protection from high-risk and dangerous offenders.

Passed with multi-party support in the House of Commons last November, Bill C-2 has been in the Senate ever since.

Canadians deserve safer streets. As lawmakers, we have an opportunity to improve public safety. MPs did their job last fall, and now it is time for Senators to take action.

So I say to Senators of all political stripes: let’s put aside the partisanship and the bickering on this issue. Let’s do the right thing for Canadians and pass Bill C-2.

Let’s make a difference for Canadians.