On Parliament Hill

Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Government appear to have a real problem with law and order.

First it was his reckless tweets which encouraged thousands of illegal migrants to pour across the Canadian border from the US. Those tweets led many to believe that entering Canada through the proper channels was just a suggestion. Since then more than 20,000 illegal migrants have poured across the border into Manitoba and Quebec.

Next, his proclivity for the “rights” of terrorists over victims was on full display when his government decided to spend millions to help reintegrate ISIS fighters that were returning to Canada. This of course followed his payment and apology to convicted terrorist Omar Khadr.

Now, our Prime Minister is attempting to reduce penalties for many serious crimes in Canada by adding “summary conviction” as a prosecutorial option. Summary offences carry much less severe penalties than indictable offences.

The proposed changes to the Criminal Code were introduced on the eve of the Easter long-weekend as part of the Bill C-75 – an omnibus bill that contains more than 300 pages of sweeping changes.

I am concerned with the number of very serious offences that will now be eligible for much lighter sentences or even simple fines. These offences include acts related to terrorism, assault with a weapon, participation in criminal organization, impaired driving, arson, advocating genocide, fraud, human trafficking, prison breach and abduction of a person under age 14. The list goes on and on.

To lower sentences for serious crimes such as these is outrageous. These changes send the wrong message to victims, law abiding Canadians and to the criminal element alike. It is simply mind-boggling that Justin Trudeau would think that these changes will somehow benefit regular, law-abiding Canadians.

Conservatives understand that Canadians rely on a strong justice system to provide protection as well as a deterrent to those who are considering breaking the law. We will continue to place the rights of victims ahead of the offenders. The Liberals? We don’t know what they’re doing.