The Tories claim mandatory minimum sentencing will make our society safer. But there is no research to support this claim. Find out more about the implications for Canada if mandatory minimum sentences are introduced for drug laws.
Emily Aspinwall, Stark Raven Radio
This interview is self-contained, with an intro and extro.
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This spring Canada's Minister of Justice Vic Toews introduced 2 bills as part of the Tories tough on crime agenda.
One of the bills, Bill C-10, proposes to place mandatory minimum sentences on various gun crimes. The Tories had originally wanted to include drug crimes as part of this bill, but dropped that part of the bill, as they figured it wouldn't pass in the parliament if drug laws were included.
The Tories have stated that they hope to introduce a separate bill introducing mandatory minimums for drug laws in the near future.
Canada already has mandatory minimum sentences on almost 40 different crimes under the criminal code
Concerned advocates from across the country and from a wide range of groups, have expressed grave concern about the increased use of mandatory minimums, particularly for drug laws.
This interview is with Joanne Csete. Joanne is the Executive Director of the Canadian HIV AIDS Legal Network.
For more information go to the Canadian HIV AIDS Legal Network, www.aidslaw.ca
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