1 week Ago By Ari Yanover
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre unveiled what may be his toughest anti-crime proposal yet on Wednesday, promising to lock up three-time offenders for at least 10 years if he becomes prime minister. Poilievre said in a Thursday morning press conference in northern Ontario that his ‘Three Strikes, You’re Out’ law will spur the “biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history.” “We will lock up rampant offenders and make sure they never hurt anyone again,” said Poilievre.
Under the proposed three-strikes law, anyone convicted of three serious offences would be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years’ incarceration, with no chance at bail, probation, parole or house arrest. Liberals believe they have 'real shot' at picking up seats on Vancouver IslandA Liberal and a Conservative knocked on the same door and some polite trash talk ensued They will also be designated as dangerous offenders , meaning they cannot be released until they’ve shown they’re no longer a threat to society. Liberal party Leader Mark Carney, speaking in Calgary on Wednesday, said that while he believes repeat offenders should face fitting consequences, he didn’t think it was apt to use a crude baseball analogy to guide sentencing.
“I don’t jump to a baseball rule of three strikes and you’re out for a period of time,” said Carney. Carney added he’ll have more to say about the Liberals’ platform on crime in the coming days. Poilievre said a three-strikes law would have prevented the 2022 Saskatchewan mass stabbings , noting that perpetrator Myles Sanderson was on statutory release at the time, despite 59 prior convictions .
“This is insane ...
and the consequence is that 11 innocent people lost their lives.” said Poilievre. A background document provided by the Conservative party said the law would cover primary designated offences listed under section 752 of the Criminal Code .
Poilievre has already said that, if he becomes prime minister, he’ll bring in life sentences for aggravated human, gun and fentanyl trafficking. He’s also said he’ll repeal two Liberal bills, C-5 and C-75, which relate to bail rules. So-called three-strikes laws which set forth mandatory sentences for repeat offenders, are on the books in 28 states across the U.
S., including the country’s most populous state, California. These laws have been a magnet for controversy, with critics pointing to their sizable hit on state budgets, unclear effects on recidivism and link to growing prison populations.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2022 that California’s three-strikes law, which prescribes 25-year terms, costs the state’s taxpayers at least $3.3 billion each year. The law also preceded a near 40 per cent increase in incarceration rates, before it was scaled back in the 2010s.
Asked if he expected constitutional roadblocks, Poilievre said Wednesday he wasn’t worried about the law being struck down by the courts. Stéphane Sérafin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Ottawa, told National Post Poilievre could try a few different tactics to avoid having such laws struck down. “One thing he could do is give courts discretion to apply an alternative sentence if the 10 years isn’t appropriate,” said Sérafin.
“The devil is in the details as far as the question of court challenges goes.” National Post [email protected] Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers.
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