MCC calls on feds to seriously rethink Bill C-10

Everybody wants to feel safe and deserves to, but what about offenders?

The federal government is working towards passage of Bill C-IO, formerly known as "The Safe Streets and Communities Act," as a bundled bill in order to speed up the legislation. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) believes this action is hasty and not thought through, as it focuses mainly on punishing offenders further and barely at all about the victim's healing.

According to the MCC Ottawa website, four of the nine pieces of legislation propose longer or mandatory prison sentences, two would impose greater financial penalties on offenders, and two would create new obstacles for offenders reintegrating into society. Only two directly address the needs of victims, and none of the initiatives propose new crime prevention or rehabilitation strategies.

MCC doesn't believe these initiatives will make streets and communities safer. Instead, it advocates for community-based justice initiatives, including preventive and restorative justice, claiming they address the victim as well as the offender. Community-based justice programs are proven to work better than merely imprisoning people, according to the John Howard Society, which cites recidivism rates of 45 percent for people who have been incarcerated without communitybased justice programs, but only 15 percent or less for those who are involved in such programs.

"Justice varies for each community," says Paul Heidebrecht, director of the MCC Ottawa Office. "It is not just a one-sizefits-all process of what will make everyone safe in Canada. We think the Government of Canada should be looking at the creative alternatives."

Bundling bills is a fairly rare occurrence, according to Heidebrecht. It occurs occasionally, but usually the legislation requires that each separate initiative be processed three different times to ensure there are no faults. The Conservative's election platform stated that Bill C-10 would be pushed through within the first 100 sitting days of Parliament.

Don Peters, MCC Canada's executive director, recently sent a letter to Rob Nicholson, the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, advising the government to take due process to attend to the bill: "We affirm the Government of Canada's interest in making our communities safe - Our basic concern is that Bill C-10 will diminish the federal government's capacity to fulfill this calling."

Included among the omnibus Safe Streets and Communities Act's nine pieces of legislation are: The Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Act, which proposes increased penalties for sexual offences against children and two new offences for facilitating or enabling the commission of such an act; The Penalties for Organized Drug Crime Act, which would target organized crime by imposing tougher sentences for the production and possession of illicit drugs; and The Eliminating Pardons for Serious Crimes Act, which would extend the ineligibility period of pardons to five years for summary conviction offences and 10 years for indictable offences.

According to the government, the crime bill will target crime and terrorism, and provide support and protection to victims of crime. Heidebrecht, on the other hand, believes the bill will primarily impact offenders and ex-offenders.

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It is not just a one-size-fits-all process of what will make everyone safe in Canada. We think the Government of Canada should be looking at the creative alternatives.

[Author Affiliation]

BY RACHEL BERGEN

National Correspondent