OTTAWA - With its focus on incarceration instead of rehabilitation and traditional healing practices, the federal government's omnibus crime bill will put more native people behind bars, says a group of chiefs from Manitoba.
The grand chiefs of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs spoke on Parliament Hill Wednesday against the bill, asking all Canadians to unite to stop it from passing into law.
The Safe Streets and Communities Act, which has passed the House of Commons and is now before the Senate, will not address the underlying problems that lead to crime, said Grand Chief Derek Nepinak, who pointed out that one in five inmates in Canada is Metis, Innu or Aboriginal.
``It is better to address the poverty which is the underlying cause of many offences than to spend billions putting more Canadians in jail,'' said Grand Chief David Harper of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak.
``We are not looking for more jails, we are looking for more jobs and adequate housing. That's how you build safe streets and communities in Canada.''
Grand Chief Morris J. Swan-Shannacappo of the Southern Chiefs' Organization said the crime bill - which pulls together more than nine bills that failed to pass in previous parliaments - ``will perpetuate the cycle which often begins when First Nations children are removed from their families and placed in foster care.''
There are over 10,000 First Nations children in foster care in Manitoba alone, according to the Manitoba Chiefs.
Swan-Shannacappo said research shows children placed in foster care are more likely to pass through the youth detention system, wind up in jail as adults and perpetuate the cycle of incarceration his people find all too familiar.
``There's a serious under-investment in healing circles and restorative justice for our communities,'' said Nepinak. ``Those ways are proven to work in terms of rehabilitation and making someone accountable for their actions by putting them in front of the victim. . . . Why aren't we putting more money into that?''
Nepinak said the crime bill is a slap in the face to First Nations communities who expected more from a government that in 2008 apologized for its role in the residential school system.
Charles Huband, a former judge on the Manitoba Court of Appeals, said ``the conservative ideological approach to the issue of crime is wrong . . . but it's not a surprise.''
The bill will severely limit the ability of judges to use their discretion on a case-by-case basis, said Huband.
``We're moving in the wrong direction,'' he said. ``Whether it's in granting conditional sentences or imposing further mandatory minimums . . . none of that is good.
``Every accused person should have the circumstances of their upbringing and their home environment taken into account when they are being sentenced.''
Origin
Source: Canada.com
The grand chiefs of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs spoke on Parliament Hill Wednesday against the bill, asking all Canadians to unite to stop it from passing into law.
The Safe Streets and Communities Act, which has passed the House of Commons and is now before the Senate, will not address the underlying problems that lead to crime, said Grand Chief Derek Nepinak, who pointed out that one in five inmates in Canada is Metis, Innu or Aboriginal.
``It is better to address the poverty which is the underlying cause of many offences than to spend billions putting more Canadians in jail,'' said Grand Chief David Harper of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak.
``We are not looking for more jails, we are looking for more jobs and adequate housing. That's how you build safe streets and communities in Canada.''
Grand Chief Morris J. Swan-Shannacappo of the Southern Chiefs' Organization said the crime bill - which pulls together more than nine bills that failed to pass in previous parliaments - ``will perpetuate the cycle which often begins when First Nations children are removed from their families and placed in foster care.''
There are over 10,000 First Nations children in foster care in Manitoba alone, according to the Manitoba Chiefs.
Swan-Shannacappo said research shows children placed in foster care are more likely to pass through the youth detention system, wind up in jail as adults and perpetuate the cycle of incarceration his people find all too familiar.
``There's a serious under-investment in healing circles and restorative justice for our communities,'' said Nepinak. ``Those ways are proven to work in terms of rehabilitation and making someone accountable for their actions by putting them in front of the victim. . . . Why aren't we putting more money into that?''
Nepinak said the crime bill is a slap in the face to First Nations communities who expected more from a government that in 2008 apologized for its role in the residential school system.
Charles Huband, a former judge on the Manitoba Court of Appeals, said ``the conservative ideological approach to the issue of crime is wrong . . . but it's not a surprise.''
The bill will severely limit the ability of judges to use their discretion on a case-by-case basis, said Huband.
``We're moving in the wrong direction,'' he said. ``Whether it's in granting conditional sentences or imposing further mandatory minimums . . . none of that is good.
``Every accused person should have the circumstances of their upbringing and their home environment taken into account when they are being sentenced.''
Origin
Source: Canada.com
No comments:
Post a Comment