The Canadian Press has learned that Vic Toews tried to abolish the broad definition of sexual assault, calling it the "biggest mistake in criminal law ever made."By replacing it with "rape" would take us back decades.
Catherine Kane, who's in charge of the criminal law policy section at Justice, jumped to the defence of the current law, internal documents show. “We have several offences that cover the conduct previously captured by the very narrow and impossible to convict of charge of rape,” she wrote in a late-night email on May 11, the same day Toews made controversial public comments on the issue. “And we have several offences to cover the equally harmful sexual offences that fell short of the offence of rape.”I do like this comment from Rob Nicholson though:
“The government currently has an ambitious justice agenda and we are committed to pursuing it. However, in regards to your question (about rape), there is nothing currently in the works.”"Ambitious justice agenda" ... yes. "Committed to pursuing it" ... yes. The need for it ... not on your life.
In what has turned into a rite of summer in recent years, Statistics Canada has released data that again suggests the crime rate in the country continues to fall. The annual police-reported crime statistics issued yesterday indicated drops in overall crimes, motor vehicle thefts and even violent offences. The crime rate in the country in 2009 was 17% lower than a decade earlier. A relatively new indicator, the Crime Severity Index, which is a weighted average of criminal offences, is down 22% from the level in 1999.Going through with massive corporate tax cuts when this country has so much poverty, our health care is in crisis and our veterans are being treated like dogs ... That's the real crime that needs to be addressed.
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