Pubdate: Fri, 21 Oct 2005
Source: Alliston Herald (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing
Contact: http://www.simcoe.com/sc/alliston/contact/v-scv3/
Website: http://www.simcoe.com/sc/alliston/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2224
Author: Vaughan Harris

MP GUERGIS MISSED THE POINT ON POLICE FUNDING

It seems our local MP, Helena Guergis, is blindly following the 
Alliance, Reform, Conservative Party's line which states there is a 
law and order issue in Canada. Lately she has been touring with local 
police detachments to get first-hand look at crime and crime prevention.

However, during this ride in police vehicles, she is promoting the 
old Conservative line that there is, or should be, "heightened cause 
for concern" because of the lack of action in Ottawa.

Of course our local MP blames the federal Liberals, but she may have 
missed the point that the federal government does not fund the 
ordinary municipal forces or the provincial ones. She also misses the 
fact that some of the rates in crime categories are down and the 
population of Canada is increasing.

In fact, there is no law and order issue in our country; only a 
concentrated effort by the Conservative Party of Canada to create the 
illusion of one to take into the federal election. However, there are 
problem areas and problem categories and our local MP should be 
lavishing praise on our police forces for the tough job they are 
doing on behalf of the law-abiding citizens of Simcoe County.

Guergis states that the Conservative Party of Canada "wants to be 
even more prepared to deal with crime."

What will that entail? A penal colony at Fort Willow; return of the 
death penalty; more boot-camps like the ridiculous one the Ontario 
Tories set up and had to abandon; longer sentences with no 
rehabilitation programs in our jails; more super-jails run by private 
companies; punishment given out in a public forum; am American-style 
three strikes and you're out. The Conservative Party, and Helena 
Guergis, should be studying the root causes of crime, which are, in 
the main, social ones caused by governments, or opposition parties 
watching those governments, which have no social commitments or 
understanding of the needs of the ordinary citizen. That is the 
problem the Conservative Party faces and refuses to acknowledge 
because of their right wing politics. The Conservative Party should 
start addressing the real issues in Canada; they shouldn't be 
creating false ones.

Vaughan Harris,

Tottenham
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman