The Harper Conservatives keep on with the message that they are being "tough on crime". Sure. You need to be tough on crime, when there actually "is" serious crime. The problem is, however, that the crime rate in Canada has been going down for years. Canadians are safer now than they have ever been. And don't for a moment accept the silly story about "unreported crime". You have statistics on "unreported crime"? Really? So we're spending all this money to deal with a mystery shrouded in an enigma? Unreported crime??
So why are the Harper Conservatives insisting on this message? Because, as Rick Mercer says, people in fear are more likely to hand over their lunch money and shut up.
The sensible thing would be to spend some money on the root causes of crime: poverty, poor education, parenting...families, in other words. Improve community policing. Work to improve the poorest parts of our cities.
In the USA, the media has been bleating on about crime for years. It sells. People are more afraid and it shows up in things like gun ownership, which for some reason, seems to make some Americans feel better. So, Mr Harper: how long before you allow us to adopt gun laws (ie: no laws, really) American style so we can feel safer?
This is complete nonsense. We don't need to go down a path already shown to be the wrong one. Don't worry Canada. The thing we need to fear the most is our Government.
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