OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his contentious anti-crime measures aren’t “terribly expensive” and provinces such as Ontario and Quebec that complain about having to foot the bill for the added costs to their prison systems should accept their “constitutional responsibilities” to help keep streets safe.Harper made the comments in an interview broadcast Sunday on the debut of Global TV’s The West Block, a new political affairs show hosted by veteran journalist Tom Clark.
“There’s constitutional responsibilities of all governments to enforce laws and protect people,” Harper said.
“I think the people of Ontario and Quebec expect that their government will work with the federal government to make sure we have safe streets and safe communities.”
Also in the interview, recorded in Cannes, France, late last week, Harper spoke candidly on a range of issues including: the apparent start of a recession in Europe; the fate of social programs in that continent’s debt-ridden nations; the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to the United States; and what he feels is his government’s greatest accomplishment so far — managing the economy.
On one subject — the Conservative government’s omnibus crime bill — Harper was clear that he won’t change course despite concerns raised by the opposition parties, experts and provinces.
The Safe Streets and Communities legislation will send many more Canadians to prison.
The bill was tabled in September and the government promises to have it passed within 100 sitting days of the June 6 start of this Parliament.
Among the elements of the bill are mandatory minimum jail time for drug offences, including marijuana, and for incest and sexual exploitation of children.
There are also measures that assist victims of terrorism, prevent the exploitation of vulnerable immigrants, get tough on repeat young offenders, end house arrest for property and other serious crimes and eliminate pardons for violent and repeat offenders.
The government says the bill will cost the federal treasury an extra $78.6 million over five years, but it hasn’t said how much it will cost provinces, which also operate jails.
Last month, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the Harper government should pay for costs to build provincial prisons and hire staff because of the omnibus crime bill.
“It’s easy for the federal government to pass new laws dealing with crime,” said the premier. “But if there are new costs associated with those laws that have to be borne by the taxpayers of Ontario, I expect the feds will pick up that tab.”
Quebec Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier flatly said his province “will not pay” for the extra prison costs, and he was sharply critical of the proposed legislation for using a flawed solution — increased incarceration — to a societal problem.
On the Global TV show, Clark asked Harper to respond to the concerns of some Canadians about the costs of the crime crackdown and how provinces worry about how some costs will be off-loaded to them.
“The crime measures we’re proposing are overwhelmingly supported by Canadians,” said Harper.
“They’re not, in our judgment — we put the numbers before Parliament — they’re not terribly expensive. They obviously cost some money, but compared to the cost of having dangerous and repeat offenders walk the streets, they’re pretty modest.”
“And this is a fundamental responsibility of government to make sure there’s a criminal justice system that does what it can to protect people. And all the data I’ve seen has suggested that whether it’s Quebec, Ontario or anywhere else in the country, these measures are popular, they’re supported.”
Moreover, Harper said the measures are supported by “law enforcement people” across the country, and the Tories have been promising the changes for a long time.
“We were elected specifically to move forward on them, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
It was when asked directly by Clark if he was saying Ontario and Quebec would need to “pay up” that Harper said they should fulfil their constitutional responsibility to protect people and help the federal government in that task.
Among the highlights of what Harper had to say on other subjects:
• Europe
Harper said the continent, battling a debt crisis, might already have entered a recession. With the Greeks apparently agreeing to a recent European bailout deal, and the Italians agreeing to allow the International Monetary Fund monitor its austerity plan, Harper said there are positive signals of progress.
“We’ve kind of been watching this in slow motion for a couple of years, and while I know it’s complicated, I think everybody has been clear to the Europeans that this is really starting to affect global confidence and global growth and it simply must be resolved.”
• Social programs
Harper was asked by Clark if he expects the “end of the European welfare state” as those nations slash social spending to rein in their debts.
“I think that’s too strong a statement,” said the prime minister.
“I think that European countries, in fact most countries, certainly most developed countries, are committed to providing good social services and social safety nets to their citizens.”
“I think in some cases, there is probably some evidence that those have been excessive and that problem’s going to have to be tackled. But I don’t think there’s going to be an abandonment of the concept of social services or the social safety net.”
• Keystone XL
Harper said he’s not worried about recent comments by U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview which seemed to suggest he’s growing cold to the proposed oil pipeline from Alberta through the U.S.
He said Obama’s comments were “neutral” and he continues to believe that “most actors in the American political scene” support the project.
“The alternative to this kind of energy is importing more oil from the Middle East and Venezuela and all kinds of other places with all the same environmental problems and a lot less of the benefits of having a strong energy partnership with Canada.”
• His greatest accomplishment
Harper said all prime ministers like to have some kind of “legacy project” that defines them in the history books, but that his greatest accomplishment has focused on economic management.
“There’s all kinds of things we’ve done, and all kinds of things I hope to do. But our success to date is that we have so far steered Canada through the worst global recession since the Second World War, in the best position of any advanced country.”
Origin
Source: National Post
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