A BRIEF COMMENT……

Federal Conservative Party principles are more aligned with the affluent, but conservatives know they must attract working class voters to succeed at the polls.  Their tool chest’s principal “go-negative drill” and “crime spanner” appeal to the politico-lite proletariat, and so we hear that everything in the country is wrong and getting worse while crime flourishes in our neighbourhoods.

For the purposes here, we leave what is wrong or right in Canada to others, but the Conservative response to crime is rooted in the Dark Ages.  The concerning rhetoric to wrench up the fear of crime on our streets while advocating the warehousing of the criminally bent within the walls of prison industry institutions is no solution to what troubles us.  CSC’s failed mandate is of no consequence to Conservative ideology.   Progressive policies aimed at improving outcomes are of no interest.  Getting votes by stoking people’s fear is the intent, and using the public’s innocent ignorance of prison realities is an advantage.

During the almost 10 years of Conservative government under Stephen Harper, a number of politically motivated retaliatory measures in the guise of tough-on-crime reforms recalling a regressive 19^th century mindset did not withstand the test of legal challenges.  But making communities safer was never the objective; votes were the target.  Even now, there are bits and pieces of leftover Harper-inspired detritus still negatively impacting prison industry conditions.

Doug Ford’s Ontario Conservative government insists it will appoint “like-minded” judges to the provincial bench, even though that will further backlog appellate courts.  It’s seen as a vote-getter, outcomes be damned.  Likewise, the federal party’s agenda won’t give up on criminals and prison inmates as easy fodder for its election platforms, and yes, outcomes be damned.  One recent example was a private member’s bill sponsored by Conservative Public Safety and National Security “shadow minister” Pierre Paul-Hus.  Bill C-325 was a short punitive amendment to the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.  It was defeated at 2^nd reading on October 18^th last year.

This party’s prison politics calls for constant comment:-

 March 19, 2024

Pierre Paul-Hus, MP,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6

Re:      Tough on crime?

MP Paul-Hus:

“Only Conservatives will keep violent criminals off our streets and bring home safe streets again.  It’s just common sense.” October 16, 2023

Just politics, Mr. Paul-Hus.  Hardly common sense. 

Even now, people who commit serious crimes are warehoused by our federal prison industry in Correctional Service of Canada’s institutions, released back into the community in due time, often worse off than when they were convicted.  Commissioner Anne Kelly trumpets rehabilitative programming and mental health/drug addiction treatments that are half wishful thinking and half b.s.  Limited and restrictive resources benefit few inmates.

All the while, Conservative ‘policies’ are vengefully archaic, subject to censure and court challenges.

How about smart on crime?  Rebuild that prison industry from the ground up so it is more than simply a payroll office for over 20,000 public servants.  More importantly, make streets safer by prioritizing social program spending.

Otherwise, you’re simply a part of Conservative medievalism.

Several Conservative MPs who commented on the merits of this proposed bill were copied, including Pierre Poilievre, Andrew Scheer, Dan Lloyd, Frank Caputo, Michael Cooper, and Chris Warkentin.

It’s sad.  Public figures using the vulnerabilities of who they see as society’s dregs to advance a twisted priority.