A national day of protests, organized by a youth-led group, took place across Canada Nov. 24 to oppose Bill C-10, the Harper government’s omnibus crime bill.
Leadnow, which tabs itself on its website as “an independent advocacy organization that brings generations of Canadians together to achieve progress through democracy” and many supporters took part in the demonstrations.
The omnibus crime bill, titled the Safe Streets and Communities Act, was put forward by the Conservatives to help improve the safety and security of all Canadians, according to the department of justice website.
Among other things, the bill would better protect children and youth from sexual predators and violent young offenders by increasing minimum penalties. It would also end house arrest and eliminate pardons for serious crimes, according to the website.
Citizens from across the country signed and delivered petitions to various members of Parliament (MPs), opposing the bill.
Leadnow also distributed copies of the Canadian Bar Association’s condemning report that encouraged MPs not to “mess up like Texas.”
Protestors donned cowboy hats to further demonstrate this message.
Leadnow executive director Jamie Biggar told the Canadian University Press (CUP) that the core issue of Bill C-10 is mandatory sentencing.
“It’ll fill our prisons — it’ll make it impossible for judges to make common-sense decisions about what an appropriate punishment would be for the crime, given the circumstances of the offender,” Biggar said.
The bill also includes harsher sentencing for young offenders
“It’ll mean that a young person going through a slightly rough patch in their life will go to prison, essentially for years . . . instead of going into rehabilitation and reintegration programs that would bring them back into society,” Biggar told the CUP.
After getting passed in the House of Commons Dec. 5, the omnibus crime bill will now move on to the Senate.
