Making public safety a priority by strengthening the Youth Criminal Justice Act and providing tougher consequences for johns top the agenda Manitoba will put forward at a federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) justice ministers’ meeting next week in Vancouver, Attorney General Andrew Swan said.
“Manitobans have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. We work very hard every day to help protect them by strengthening our laws as well as investing in police, in prosecutors and in crime prevention,” said Swan. “We have moved ahead with new provincial legislative tools and now we are calling on Ottawa to improve key federal legislation.”
Manitoba has repeatedly called for the reform of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) at past FPT meetings. At this meeting, Swan said he will raise concerns about Bill C-4 which proposes YCJA amendments. The minister said the bill, currently before Parliament, does not adequately address deficiencies in YCJA bail and sentencing provisions and needs to be changed to deal more effectively with serious and repeat young offenders. Swan said he will call upon FPT ministers to commit to a special meeting on the YCJA if the parliamentary standing committee currently reviewing the bill does not address Manitoba’s concerns.
He said Manitoba will also suggest the Criminal Code should be amended to provide Crown attorneys with the ability to seek increased penalties for johns, in order to reduce sexual exploitation, diminish negative impacts on communities where prostitution is taking place and disrupt a key source of revenue for organized crime.
In order to allow more time for police officers to be on the streets, Swan said he will support recommendations to amend the Criminal Code to permit routine police evidence to be presented by written document rather than requiring police to spend time in court giving oral testimony on such matters.
The meeting will take place Oct. 13 to 15 in Vancouver.
