A proposed private members' bill would make it a crime for protesters to wear a mask or disguise while participating in a riot or unlawful assembly, and this week the Harper government put its weight behind the legislation.
The Conservative majority on a House of Commons committee that's examining the bill has taken matters a step further by doubling the proposed maximum prison term to 10 years from five.
Government MPs passed the amendment over the objections of the NDP opposition, who argue the bill is a sham because wearing a mask to commit any crime is already an offence under the Criminal Code.
Blake Richards, the Conservative backbencher who proposed the new legislation, has said he sees the law as being mainly preventative in nature, allowing police to step in and arrest masked participants before protests spiral out of control.
The hard-line amendment to double the maximum penalty is just the latest in a spate of government tough-on-crime measures rolled out as Conservative support appears to be slipping in public opinion polls.
Original Article
Source: winnipeg free press
Author: CP
No comments:
Post a Comment