The "tackling Violent Crime Act"

On October 18, 2007, the Conservative government introduced new criminal legislation, demanding that it receive speedy passage through the parliamentary process. The “Tackling Violent Crime Act” includes provisions from a collection of earlier defeated bills aimed at changing the way we deal with serious violent, sexual, firearms, and driving offences. Some of the more significant effects of the new legislation, if enacted, would include the following:

1. Raising mandatory prison sentences and creating more onerous bail provisions for serious firearms offences and for certain violent and sexual offences where a firearm is used;
2. Creating new break and enter and robbery offences where the purpose is to steal firearms;
3. Making it easier to have repeat offenders classified as “dangerous offenders” and increasing obligations of crown counsel to consider applying for “dangerous offender” status for repeat offenders;
4. Increasing consequences for breaches of “long term offender” sentences;
5. Changing the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16, with certain close-in-age exceptions;
6. Increasing the tools available to police to detect and investigate drug and alcohol related offences, and increasing penalties for failing to comply with those investigations;
7. Making it more difficult to raise technical defences to impaired driving offences;
8. Increasing the penalties for impaired driving offences.
The Conservative Government has taken the position that it will not consider substantial amendments to Bill C-2 and that an election will be triggered if the Bill is defeated.
The content of the new legislation can be viewed online at: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=3078412&Language=e&Mode=1&File=24
 
For further information on this article contact Pushor Mitchell Associate Nick Lerfold at: lerfold@pushormitchell.com or (250)869-1285