Justice Minister Rob Nicholson is adamant that the costs associated with a newly introduced omnibus crime bill are sustainable, though he admits they cannot be precisely projected at the outset.
The Conservative government tabled the bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday, seeking to move ahead with a set of sweeping criminal-justice system changes that it has been trying to implement for years.
Some of the proposed changes include ending the use of house arrest for many types of crime, allowing victims to participate in parole hearings and bringing in tougher penalties for violent young offenders. The bill would also introduce heftier penalties for people convicted of sexually abusing children, new mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug crimes and would force convicted felons to wait longer to be granted pardons.
On Wednesday, Nicholson said the changes are necessary and that Ottawa will ensure that the provinces can handle any increased costs that come with them.
"I can tell you that the costs are sustainable and we're giving increased money to the provinces to make sure that any additional costs are maintainable by them," Nicholson told CTV's Canada AM from Ottawa.
While Nicholson said it was difficult to predict exactly how much those costs will be, the justice minister said the costs to victims are just as significant.
"I appreciate that we are getting so many fiscal conservatives that are worried about this, but I tell them that the cost to victims is great and this is very sustainable. So it's going to work," Nicholson said.
Yet some critics say that the bill could cost taxpayers untold billions, though it may not make much of a dent in terms of crime prevention.
Kim Pate of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies fears that some of the changes included in the omnibus bill will simply cause the costs of the justice system to swell to the point where they are no longer sustainable.
"Look at what's happening in the United States where states are going bankrupt now because they've been on this trajectory. Why are we heading that way?" Pate told CTV's Canada AM from Ottawa.
With files from The Canadian Press
