New laws needed for crimes against veterans

The Harper government is on a roll when it comes to introducing tough new amendments to the Criminal Code. Although the Tories only have a minority in Parliament they can now govern as if they have a majority. Polls show that that if a federal election were called now, the Conservative Party of Canada has a good chance of winning a majority government.

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And with the federal Liberals in complete disarray under the leadership of Michael Ignatieff, the opposition parties would rather prop up the evil right wing Tories than risk entrenching them with a real majority. Many of the crime bills introduced by the present government contain mandatory minimum jail sentences. There are valid arguments against such sentences. There is little proof that they actually act as a deterrent and certainly do not in aid in rehabilitation of inmates to the extent that anyone actually gets rehabilitated in the slammer. As well, putting more people in jail means added government expenditures during a time of bourgeoning deficits. Nevertheless the government seems to like them so perhaps the Conservatives should consider introducing legislation that provides harsher penalties for those who are convicted of committing criminal acts against recognizable veterans and war memorials. This year, as in years past, there was a rash of thefts from poppy collection boxes during the first eleven days of November throughout the country. The sums of money in boxes that are kept on the counters of donut shops and other small businesses are generally small amounts but the trouble that some lowlifes take to steal money that is destined for vets and their organizations is disgusting. Those who steal money from poppy boxes should be held up as examples of the dregs of society that they are; the actual amounts that they steal is not the significant part of the crime. Mandatory minimums would do the trick. But aside from the usual thefts there were some really disturbing incidents that occurred this year. Shortly before Remembrance Day, the provincial cenotaph in Fredericton New Brunswick was vandalized. A gun and a helmet on the monument was torn off and destroyed; an act police say would have taken a lot of force to do. The cenotaph will be repaired although it was not possible to do it prior to the November 11 ceremony. The hurt that this act caused not only to Canadian veterans but to law abiding citizens who support Canada’s military, went far beyond that which normally accompanies ordinary acts of mischief. On Remembrance Day itself, a man in Hamilton, Ontario showed his support for Canada’s veterans by urinating on that city’s cenotaph. That apparently wasn’t sufficient so he spit on a couple of wreaths that were laid at the base of the monument. Police made an arrest after seeing the man’s image on pictures taken by a closed circuit TV camera. The most serious incident happened in a legion hall in east Toronto. An 84-year-old World War II veteran and a 64-year-old legion member were in a room counting the poppy money that the legion collected when a young man entered the room. He pulled out a gun and demanded the money, approximately $10,000. In spite of the fact that he was armed, both men made a move towards him and he eventually fled empty handed. The 84-year-old later told reporters that he would have punched the guy’s head in if he had had the chance. Providing mandatory minimum sentences for crimes such of this would likely do nothing to deter similar crimes. And yes, incarcerating more people for longer periods of times would cost a lot of money. But by legislating mandatory minimum sentences, the government would be making a statement; that Canada is thankful for the service that people in the military, past and present, have performed for their country. It would be a good way to further honour our veterans while at the same time show how ordinary Canadians view these vile acts. And if members of the opposition parties don’t like it, let’s see them try to oppose it.

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