26 February 2009
VANCOUVER
Law-abiding Canadians deserve additional legal protections from increasingly violent organized crime operations, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a roundtable of anti-gang violence and victims' advocates and law enforcement professionals today.
"All Canadians have been shocked by the increasingly brazen shootings and other acts of violence that we see on the streets of Vancouver and other cities," said the Prime Minister. "All levels of government must work together to ensure that law enforcement and prosecutors have the tools they need to catch and convict the criminals behind this violence."
Following the meeting with local police and concerned advocates, the Prime Minister called for Parliament to ensure quick passage of the Act to Amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants) introduced by the Attorney General today in the House of Commons. If passed by parliament, this new legislation will:
- Make murders connected to organized crime activity automatically first-degree. First-degree murder is subject to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for 25 years;
- Create a new offence to address drive-by and other reckless shootings with a mandatory minimum sentence of four years and escalating penalties if the offence was committed for a criminal organization or with a prohibited or restricted firearm such as a hand gun;
- Create two new offences for assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm and aggravated assault against a peace or public officer. This would be punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 and 14 years, respectively.
" I am calling on all MPs who are serious about fighting violent crime to quickly pass this legislation so that the people of Vancouver, and all Canadians, have the protection they deserve," said the Prime Minister. "Our message for these violent gangsters is clear: We will hold you accountable for your crimes. "
