OTTAWA — A federal bill to impose automatic jail terms for drug crimes, for the first time in Canada, is headed for passage in the House of Commons in a final vote that could happen as early as Thursday.
If the proposed legislation succeeds as anticipated, judges will be stripped of their discretion on whether or not to incarcerate drug traffickers, including offenders who grow and then sell as few as five marijuana plants.
The bill was lambasted by 13 of the 16 witnesses who appeared before the House of Commons justice committee during public hearings this spring.
Two American critics warned minimum mandatory sentences for drug crimes have flooded U.S. prisons in the last 25 years, with a disproportionate effect on drug addicts, the poor, the young, blacks and other minorities.
The U.S. surpasses every other country by far in incarceration rates, and yet the drug business there has flourished.
“This will take us down the road of the U.S. experience, which has been a failure,” said New Democrat Libby Davies, whose party will vote against the bill in a third and final reading in the Commons, expected this week or next. The Bloc Quebecois will also oppose it.
The Liberals, who teamed up with the Conservatives to successfully usher the bill through the justice committee, will vote in favour, said MP Brian Murphy.
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Within the last 30 years, parliament passed a law that there was to be a minimum sentence of 7 years for anyone illegally importing narcotics into Canada.
I believe it was the Supreme Court of Canada that ruled it was somehow cruel, unusual, violated some never before heard of right, or interfered with the business of drug dealers or some other nonsense typical of the Court.
Good luck to the elected representatives of the people this time.
“The U.S. surpasses every other country by far in incarceration rates, and yet the drug business there has flourished.”
That sums it up for me. What do you think, Jack?
“What do you think, Jack?”
Send me a private email and I’ll explain. For now I support the idea.