Demonstration against Bill C-10, which passed yesterday in Parliament.
Photo: Pat McGrath, Ottawa Citizen
In spite of the fact that many Canadians are opposed to the Harper government's "tough on crime" Bill C-10, I am willing to go out on a limb and suggest that no tears will be shed over the fact that it will now be more difficult for repeat offenders against children like Graham James and Karla Homolka to obtain pardons for their crimes.
Although I think that the process for granting pardons to violent offenders has been in need of a serious tightening for some time, it's unfortunate that it took a campaign led by two former NHL stars who had been victimized by James to awaken our nation's level of consciousness to the fact that our system is broken in many aspects. Where were our voices when Homolka, killer of 3 ordinary young girls, was well on her way to a brand new life and rubber stamp-style forgiveness from the government?
I digress; regardless of how it came about, or what nasty Bill it is contained within, I consider it a personal victory of sorts that Karly Curls won't ever have the opportunity to escape what she's done, at least on paper. On paper, she will always be a murderer. On paper, she won't ever be forgiven for obliterating Tammy, Kristen, and Leslie.
More Information...
Bill C-10: An Act to enact the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and to amend the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other Acts
Can be viewed in its entirety on the Government of Canada website
10 Reasons to Oppose Bill C-10
Canadian Bar Association
Definitely a victory!
ReplyDeleteThis case in particular really put a damper on my teenage years. At a time when I should have been spreading my wings and exploring the wider world around me, I was being told by my parents and teachers to watch my back and trust no one. I guess it was an important lesson to learn, but what an awful way to learn it...
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered how many other girls my age who grew up in Ontario suffered the same kind of nightmares that I did because of this case.
And unfortunately there's always another one to take her place.
ReplyDeleteThe world gets more informed, but never really any safer.
Well, I like to think I am safer (kind of, sort of, maybe) because of it: ritualistic window and door locking/checking and all :)
ReplyDeleteAnyone who comes through my forcefield is getting a taste of my wooden bat, "The Peacemaker," at the very least!