XPost: can.taxes, soc.culture.quebec 
 From: Canuck57@nospam.com 
  
 abc wrote: 
 > Liberal senators blasted by Tories, NDP for blocking crime bill 
 > 
 > 
 > October 7, 2009 
 > 
 > 
 > Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, shown here in a March 2009 file 
 > photo, blasted Liberal senators on Wednesday for watering down 
 > legislation designed to remove credit for time served by offenders 
 > awaiting sentencing. 
 > 
 > Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, shown here in a March 2009 file 
 > photo, blasted Liberal senators on Wednesday for watering down 
 > legislation designed to remove credit for time served by offenders 
 > awaiting sentencing. 
 > Photograph by: Chris Wattie, Reuters 
 > 
 > OTTAWA € Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson blasted Liberal 
 > senators on Wednesday, accusing them of watering down legislation 
 > designed to remove credit for time served by offenders awaiting 
 > sentencing. 
 > 
 > The legislation, supported by provincial governments across the 
 > country, would eliminate a common practice among judges, when 
 > sentencing offenders, to credit them on a two-for-one basis for each 
 > day spent in detention 
 > 
 > But the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee voted to 
 > change the proposed legislation so that offenders would receive a 
 > credit of 1.5 days for each day served in pre-sentence custody € but 
 > that judges would retain their discretion to sentence up to two days or 
 > as they see fit. 
 > 
 > "I believe the bill has been gutted," Nicholson told Canwest News 
 > Service. "Judges will have the discretion to give up to two-to-one, 
 > which is exactly what we had taken aim at." 
 > 
 > NDP Leader Jack Layton also took aim at the senators, criticizing them 
 > for not raising concerns about the legislation earlier. 
 > 
 > "Unelected senators shouldn't be standing in the way of the unanimous 
 > will of the House when it comes to important laws," Layton said. "This 
 > is another example why we shouldn't have unelected law makers in this 
 > country and that the Senate should be abolished." 
 > 
 > Nicholson also criticized Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff for allowing 
 > the senators to change the legislation. The justice minister said 
 > there's a consensus among Canadians for more laws cracking down on 
 > crime, but that the senators are delaying those changes by proposing 
 > amendments. 
 > 
 > "I hope (the legislation) gets fixed in the main Senate," Nicholson 
 > said. "This is why I have been asking since June, for Mr. Ignatieff to 
 > step forward, to put some pressure, to show some leadership on this 
 > issue and bring together some unity within his own political party on 
 > all of these issues." 
 > 
 > But Liberal justice critic Dominic LeBlanc defended Ignatieff, 
 > explaining that the Liberal MPs supported the government's legislation 
 > and would work to reverse any changes proposed by the Senate. 
 > 
 > "Mr. Ignatieff is not like Mr. Harper. He doesn't order caucus members 
 > around," said LeBlanc. "The Senate has a role to play but I can be very 
 > clear that we don't believe the bill should be amended." 
 > 
 > The Harper government introduced its bill seven months ago amid 
 > complaints from provincial governments and other critics that the 
 > credit is being abused by accused offenders who drag out their trials 
 > so they can cut their time in prison. 
 > 
 > Criminal lawyers have countered that judges can already deny time 
 > credit to those who try to drag out their trials. The idea behind the 
 > credit is to compensate for the harsh conditions in detention 
 > facilities. 
 > 
 > The Senate as a whole, which is dominated by Liberals, must still pass 
 > the amended version of the bill before it is sent back to the House of 
 > Commons for vote, said Mark Roy, spokesman for the Liberals in the 
 > Senate. 
 > 
 > The Commons can decide to reject the amendment and punt the bill back 
 > to the Senate, which has traditionally accepted the will of the elected 
 > MPs. 
 > 
  
 They are all soft on crime.  That is why I don't vote NDP, Lib nor Cons 
 any more.  Which corrupt party of Kanada do you vote for? 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)