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### Viewing cable 08OTTAWA319, CANADA PASSES KEY NEW CRIME BILL

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08OTTAWA319 | 2008-03-03 22:10 | 2011-04-28 00:12 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Ottawa

`

    VZCZCXYZ6476
    OO RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHOT #0319/01 0632216
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    O 032216Z MAR 08
    FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7438
    INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

` `

    UNCLAS OTTAWA 000319

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM CA
    SUBJECT:  CANADA PASSES KEY NEW CRIME BILL

    REF: A.   Ottawa 257

    -           B.   07 OTTAWA 1924

    ¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  The Conservatives' comprehensive crime
    legislation became law on February 28 after the Liberal-dominated
    Senate met a government-set March 1 deadline and passed the omnibus
    bill without amendment from the House of Commons' version.  The new
    Act fulfills a 2006 election promise from the Conservatives and was
    also a major plank in the 2007 "Speech from the Throne" policy
    statement by the government (ref b).  Important new provisions
    include mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes, easier
    designations of  "dangerous offenders," and better protection for
    young teens from sexual exploitation.  It will help not only to
    tackle violent crime more effectively, but also to position the
    Conservatives as the primary party of "law and order" in the next
    federal election.  End summary.

    LEGISLATIVE VICTORY FOR CONSERVATIVES

    ¶2.  (U)  The new "Tackling Violent Crime Act" includes key elements
    of five separate criminal law bills from 2006 as part of the
    government's tough "safe streets, safe communities" law and order
    agenda against gangs, guns, and violent crime.  Opposition parties
    initially opposed at least two of the five -- mandatory minimum
    sentences for gun crimes and increasing restrictions on dangerous
    offenders -- and all five bills died when the government prorogued
    Parliament in 2007.

    ¶3.  (U)  With the opening of a new session of Parliament on October
    16, 2007, the Conservatives included this single, comprehensive
    justice bill in the "Speech from the Throne" policy statement and
    then introduced it formally on October 18.  To ratchet up pressure,
    the government voluntarily designated the bill as a matter of
    "confidence" that would trigger an election if the opposition
    parties defeated it.  The Commons passed it without amendment on
    November 28.  In early February, Prime Minister Harper pushed
    through the Commons an unusual second confidence motion setting a
    deadline for the Senate to pass the bill by March 1 or trigger an
    election.  Despite constitutional doubts that the Commons has any
    power to compel the timing of votes in the appointed upper house,
    the Senate expedited its hearings, even during recess (ref a) and
    passed it without amendment on February 27.  It received Royal
    Assent from the Governor General on February 28 and became law.

    HIGHER MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES

    ¶4.  (U) The legislation increases existing mandatory minimum prison
    terms for certain firearms offenses, particularly where the offense
    has been committed with a restricted or prohibited firearm, in
    connection with a criminal organization, or by an individual with a
    previous conviction for a firearm-related offense.  The new
    mandatory minimum prison sentences increase to five years for a
    first offense, and seven years on a second or subsequent offense,
    for eight specific offenses involving firearms (attempted murder,
    discharging a firearm with intent, sexual assault with a weapon,
    aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, hostage taking, robbery, and
    extortion), when the offense is gang-related, or for use of a
    restricted or prohibited firearm.

    ¶5.  (U) The Act also mandates sentences of three years on a first
    offense, and five years on a second or subsequent offense, for other
    serious firearm-related offenses (firearm trafficking, possession
    for the purpose of firearm trafficking, firearm smuggling, and
    illegal possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm with
    ammunition), as well as establishing new indictable offenses for
    breaking and entering to steal a firearm or robbery to steal a
    firearm.
    Qfirearm.

    TOUGHER BAIL PROVISIONS

    ¶6.  (U) The Act establishes a "reverse onus" requiring defendants to
    demonstrate why they should not be in jail while awaiting trial when
    facing charges of certain serious offenses involving firearms,
    including:
    --  attempted murder;
    --  discharging a firearm with criminal intent;
    --  sexual assault with a weapon;
    --  aggravated sexual assault
    --  kidnapping
    --  hostage-taking
    --  robbery,
    --  extortion
    --  any indictable offense involving use of a firearm or other
    regulated weapon;
    --  firearms trafficking and smuggling; or,
    --  where the accused faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of
    three years or more for a firearms offense.

    CRACKDOWN ON DANGEROUS OFFENDERS

    ¶7.  (U) The Act makes it easier for the courts, at the Crown's
    request, to designate individuals convicted of repeated violent
    (especially sexual), offenses as "Dangerous Offenders" -- those
    guilty of serious personal injury offences who constitute a threat
    to the life, safety, physical, or mental well-being of other persons
    -- as part of their sentencing.  Once in prison, "Dangerous
    Offenders" are still eligible to apply for day parole after four
    years and full parole after seven years, but even those paroled or
    who finish their sentences are subject to monitoring for the rest of
    their lives.  If they continue to represent an "unacceptable risk to
    society," they may remain in prison for life.  Successive
    governments have already designated 403 individuals in Canada as
    "Dangerous Offenders" since 1978.

    ¶8.  (U) The Act adds a new "reverse onus" method to existing
    provisions designating individuals as "Dangerous Offenders."  The
    Act creates a "presumption of dangerousness" so that individuals who
    have been convicted at least three times of specific violent or
    sexual crimes must convince the court why they should not be
    designated a "Dangerous Offender."  Previously, the Crown had to
    decide whether it would seek "Dangerous Offender" status on a
    case-by-case basis and to apply to the court for such status.  It
    was not obliged to state in open court its intention to pursue such
    status.  In contrast, the new provisions require the Crown to affirm
    in open court its intention to apply to the court or not for
    "Dangerous Offender" status after three convictions on serious
    violent offenses, thereby increasing the likelihood that it will
    pursue "Dangerous Offender" applications in such cases.   The Act
    also allows the Crown to designate as "Dangerous Offenders" repeat
    violent offenders who breach lesser crimes, to double the duration
    of peace bonds, and to clarify the range of conditions on those
    released from jail.

    PROTECTING TEENS FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

    ¶9.  (U) The Act raises the age at which youths can consent to
    non-exploitative sexual activity from fourteen to sixteen years, but
    includes a close-in-age exception for fourteen and fifteen year-old
    youths with partners less than 5 years older. The age of consent for
    sexual exploitative situations (i.e., prostitution) remains 18 years
    old.

    PUNISHING DRUNK DRIVERS

    ¶10.  (U) The Act provides police with better tools to detect and
    investigate drug- and alcohol-impaired driving, including making it
    an offense to refuse roadside sobriety and drug tests.  It increases
    penalties for impaired driving from C$600 to C$1,000 for a first
    offense, with the minimum term of imprisonment from 14 to 30 days
    for a second offense and the minimum sentence from 90 to 120 days
    for each subsequent offense.  It also adds new offenses and maximum
    penalties for impaired driving causing bodily harm (ten years
    imprisonment) or death (life imprisonment).

    COMMENT

    ¶11.  (SBU) Prime Minister Stephen Harper came into office in part on
    the Conservatives' promise of getting tough on crime, and he has
    widespread public - and now, bipartisan political -- support for
    strengthening Canada's judicial system and increasing resources for
    his law and order agenda.  The government has since October 2007
    succeeded in passing two major pieces of crime and security
    legislation -- amendments to Canada's security certificate system
    (septel) and the Tackling Violent Crime Act -- and thereby
    sidestepped a possible federal election over confidence votes on
    these bills.  Other justice draft legislation remains under
    consideration in Parliament, including a bill establishing mandatory
    minimum sentences for drug crimes (targeted at producers, dealers,
    Qminimum sentences for drug crimes (targeted at producers, dealers,
    gangs, and organized crime) and amendments to the 2001
    Anti-Terrorism Act, currently in the Senate.  These new bills will
    help not only to tackle violent crime and possible terrorists even
    more effectively, but will also position the Conservatives as the
    primary party of "law and order" in the next federal election -
    whenever it takes place.
    WILKINS

`