Cory Morgan: Justice Reform to Rein In Violent Crime Is Crucially Needed in Canada

Passersby stop at a makeshift memorial at the place where a mother of two, Karolina Huebner-Makurat, was killed by a stray bullet, in Toronto on July 10, 2023. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Commentary

The Liberals are managing to find ways to maintain power in the House of Commons, despite being a minority. They may be able to continue that until a scheduled general election in October 2025. If the government doesn’t implement some popular policies in the next 12 months, though, they are facing potential electoral obliteration.

Justice reform is one of the policies that the electorate is eagerly looking for, and voters would take notice if fast action was taken on it.

Violent crime rates have been surging in cities across Canada in the last 10 years, according to a new report released by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Reports of sexual assaults and robberies are trending upward. Citizens raising concerns over crime are often dismissed as having succumbed to the perception of rising crime due to sensationalist media coverage or unfounded fears of public disorder. But the statistics are proving that concerns over crime aren’t baseless and people are justified in their concerns.

Public safety isn’t a left/right political issue. When people fear for the well-being of themselves or their loved ones, political ideology becomes secondary. The prime concern is to ensure they can go about their daily lives without risk of being assaulted or harmed. People also universally agree that the preservation of public safety is a prime government responsibility. Crime prevention and justice are issues that can move the political needle for people.

The long game for crime prevention is a complicated one. Many factors are contributing to the rising violent crime rates. The opioid addiction epidemic, lack of resources for mental health support, being unnecessarily lenient with criminals, social challenges in some communities, and rehabilitation of incarcerated people all need to be addressed for a comprehensive crime reduction plan.

In the short term, though, people must feel the government is working to keep them safe and that requires taking a harder line on violent, repeat criminals.

The government has already brought in legislation making it more difficult for repeat offenders to get bail, but killers still appear to be falling through the cracks. In the murder of 30-year-old Tori Dunn in June, the man arrested for killing her was under two probation orders for prior violent acts, meaning he had been incarcerated and released repeatedly.

In another case, Jatin Patel had served time for murder and a string of sexual offences against children. He was released, breached his conditions, was arrested, and was released again on bail. Do we have to wait until he assaults another child?

It’s hard to imagine any party taking a stronger stance against violent offenders not being applauded for doing so.

One of the reasons violent criminals are getting bail and early releases is due to lack of jail space. Both local remand centres and prisons tend to be filled to the brim and can’t take in more prisoners. The solution to the problem is expensive but simple. We must build more jails, and we must get better at prioritizing who needs to be locked up in them. The cost to society for releasing dangerous people is higher than the dollar value of keeping violent people contained.

Most violent crimes are committed by a small number of repeat offenders. If we would contain the chronic violent offenders longer once we have identified them, it would reduce the crimes committed. That may sound simplistic, but sometimes the answers really aren’t complicated.

Election years are the years when we can get things done. Governments are inspired to produce policies that show a tangible benefit to voters when they know they are going to the polls soon. Canada needs justice reform, and most Canadians don’t care who will bring it.

When an issue is pressing enough, the government can get things done quickly. Bill C-70, legislation to counter foreign interference in Canada, was fast-tracked through the House of Commons and the Senate with Liberal and Conservative cooperation. If the Liberals lead on justice reform, the Conservatives will likely follow.

If the Liberals don’t pick up on this issue, the Conservatives should take it up more strongly. Pierre Poilievre is hammering on the carbon tax effectively but has gone as far as he can with it. To broaden support further, the Conservatives need wider, defining issues, and cracking down on violent crime would be a popular one.

Social disorder is spreading in Canada and people are fearful. The issue doesn’t need to be ideological, but by necessity, it will take political solutions. Somebody on one side of the House of Commons or the other must take up the cause and run with it. Not just because it would be a vote getter, but because it’s the right thing to do.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.