While violent crime rates in Canada are unchanged or dropping, sensational media coverage of high profile cases has caused politicians to climb on an anti-crime bandwagon. Many of the changes suggested are outside Ontario's jurisdiction so talk is as far as their suggestions will go.
Libertarians believe that criminals have to take personal responsibility for their actions. Blaming "society", lack of jobs or poverty are convenient excuses that enable the guilty to escape accountability.
Based on today's welfare rolls, if poverty was the cause of crime, ten percent of Ontario's population would be criminals! We don't need more laws, we need enforcement of what we have! Changes Libertarians would make include:
- Promote private arbitration between criminal and victim for property crimes. Restitution would have to be paid to the victim by the criminal who would also pay for the process. This would free our courts for more serious cases.
- Elimination of "victimless" crimes such as seat belt laws where no one is hurt nor property lost or damaged. Free our police officers to fight violent crime.
- Have juries set sentences within the limits prescribed in law. This will ensure the guilty take responsibility for their actions.
- Remove government-backed legal aid programmes which encourage criminals to use the system to the limit on the off-chance they will go free. Criminals should pay for their defence, not the taxpayers.
- Free the police from the multitude of politically-correct commissions looking over their shoulder. Police should be controlled by their local municipal councils who pay the bills, not political appointees of the provincial government.
- Enforce existing laws that deal with violent crime rather than adding more "designer legislation" based on victim gender or race.
- Make government and it's employees subject to the same laws as everyone else without exception.
