Liberal Senators Stall Law-and-Order Bill

Upper House Prevents Passage of Tory Bill Supported by Liberals

Oct 8, 2009 Allison McNeely

Tearing apart a law-and-order bill supported by the Grits, a few Liberal Senators broke decisively from the party line, further damaging the public view of Ignatieff.

The Liberal-supported, Conservative crime bill was supposed to pass fairly quickly and unharmed through the Canadian Senate. Since the party holds the majority of the seats in the Upper House, it was expected that there would be a swift passage with no amendments. However, a small group of Liberal Senators has gutted the bill supported by Michael Ignatieff, creating more headaches and delays for the already-beleaguered leader.

When asked about their intentions, Liberal Senator George Baker said, “It doesn't help in the public view, I must admit. However, if we didn't do this, then it wouldn't help in the justification of the Senate being in existence.”

Ongoing Liberal Problems and Declining Support

As the Canadian public found out early this week, the Liberals have lost considerable support against the Conservatives. In a Strategic Counsel/Globe and Mail/CTV poll, Conservative Party support was positioned at 39.7%, with the Liberals trailing at 25.7%.

The Liberal Senate upset is just another example of the recent problems of infighting facing the party. Although the Senate was designed to be the “sober second thought,” in reality, it has many of the party line constraints that face members of the lower house. Simply put, Senators act and vote in accordance with whatever the MPs have sent them. According to CTV News, Ignatieff has put considerable pressure on his MPs to pass the bill unchanged and has rejected the notion that they are holding up the bill.

Michael Ignatieff and his team appeared to be genuinely embarrassed by their Senators. However, Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh avoided the suggestion that the Senators were making life difficult for the party. “They know they have to accede to the will of House, ultimately,” he told The Globe and Mail.

The Subject of the Law-and-Order Bill

According to The Globe and Mail, the controversial bill in question is one that addresses awarding time against a sentence for time already spent in a local jail. Meaning, if a convicted criminal spent 6 months in a local jail during their trial and is given a 5-year sentence, they will only have to spend 4.5 years in a federal prison. Furthermore, there exists the possibility for judges to award double time for time spent in local jails. This practice acknowledges that local jails are often more difficult to stay in than federal prisons, and that time served does not count towards parole.

In legislation brought forward earlier this year by the Conservatives, there was an effort to restrict this practice of awarding time for time in local jail, as was requested by all 10 provincial attorneys-general. The Liberals, having consulted with leading legal scholars and legal associations, amended the bill to give judges more leeway to use their discretion. They espouse that the judge is the best person to decide whether or not it is appropriate to award time for time served.

The copyright of the article Liberal Senators Stall Law-and-Order Bill in Canadian Affairs is owned by Allison McNeely. Permission to republish Liberal Senators Stall Law-and-Order Bill in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 10+4?

Comments

Jan 15, 2010 7:51 PM

Guest :

"However, a small group of Liberal Senators has gutted the bill"

You have got to be joking! If you think the bill is "gutted" then you have not looked into it. Google "Bill C-15" and see how easy it is.

Bill C-15 has been amended by the Senate Committee and the media have largely been confused about what the amendments mean, falsely reporting that bill has been "gutted" and that mandatory minimum sentences have been removed for growers of less than 200 cannabis plants. This is only true in certain circumstances.

Even with the Senate Committee amendments, growing one cannabis plant, for the purpose of selling, will still result in a 9 month mandatory prison sentence, if this legislation becomes law!

If you think Bill C-15 will be good for Canada you are mistaken. Mandatory minimum sentences have been tried in the US to disastrous outcome. Harper wants to take Canada down that same road to certain failure.

Don't be confused by the Conservative spin. Watch videos of expert testimony at the Senate Committee studying Bill C-15 and then JUDGE FOR YOURSELVES.

Watch more VIDEOS of expert testimony to the Senate Committee studying Bill C-15...

YouTube Bill C-15 channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CannabisFactsForCdns

-FrankD

1 Comment: