The most basic duty of government is the safety of its citizens. The Progressive Conservative opposition believes there is too much crime in Manitoba. To help make Manitobans safer, our government would initiate one of the most significant and comprehensive overhauls of the justice system Manitoba has ever seen.
Meaningful reform to the justice system begins with the addition of resources. Consistent with our pledge to add 350 new crime-fighters across the justice system over the next four years, our government would begin the process of adding resources in the areas of policing, prosecutions, courts, and monitoring of offenders released into our communities. Manitobans are seeing an unprecedented number of shootings in our communities. They are seeing more criminals with guns with an indifference to human life. Manitobans find it unacceptable that the number of gunshot victims in Winnipeg in October reached the double digits.
A Progressive Conservative government would establish a joint firearm enforcement unit to combat firearm smuggling from the United States and other provinces. It is an important measure to take illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals on our streets. 22 Equally as troubling are gangs on our streets.
A Progressive Conservative government would do everything possible within provincial jurisdiction to discourage and prosecute this menacing behavior. Labeling gang activity a public nuisance is an important measure that would add civil liabilities to existing criminal code offences.
Our government would also introduce legislation to allow community impact statements to the court to be used in gang and gun-related cases. This would ensure the courts understand the true costs these offences have on the community. Manitoba struggles with the highest auto theft rates in the country and our rates of attempted car theft are still rising. To combat this, a Progressive Conservative government would launch a bait car program to deter would-be auto thieves. Youth crime remains a troubling social issue in Manitoba.
In recognition of the federal government’s intent to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act, a Progressive Conservative government would lead an all-party delegation to Ottawa to provide important input on the changes, especially following the success of the Criminal Code delegation last September. Manitobans recognize law enforcement agents as the front line of efforts to tackle crime.
A Progressive Conservative government would give law enforcement agents all the tools necessary to fight crime, including legislation that compels hospitals to report all gun and stab 23 wounds to police. Police services must be informed of these activities to conduct a timely investigation. Our government would conduct a comprehensive review of the Provincial Police Act to incorporate minimum training standards for police and special constables. Further strengthening our law enforcement agencies would be a police college and recruitment centre.
Our government would hold consultations with policing organizations to achieve this goal. The concern of Manitobans about violent crime extends to our schools as well.
A Progressive Conservative government would propose placing special constables in schools under the direction of a Safe Schools Police Unit. It is important we do not wait for a tragedy to occur in our schools implement this measure. Special constables with training in emergency preparedness and conflict resolution would improve the safety of our children in a crisis. In addition to effective policing and stronger sentencing, government must provide a judicial system its citizens can trust. The public’s trust in our justice system was shaken in the Harvey-Zenk case. Manitobans want to know sentencing practices are unbiased and fair.
A Progressive Conservative government would proceed immediately with an independent inquiry into this case so that necessary reforms flowing from it can be implemented as soon as possible. 24 Our government would also reform the judicial appointment process. We believe law enforcement officials and victims of crime bring an important perspective that should be represented when selecting judges. To this end, a Progressive Conservative government would require the appointment of one police officer and one representative of a victims’ rights organization to the Judicial Nominating Committee. Our government would also require provincial court judge nominees to appear publicly before a committee of the Legislature before they are hired.
