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Dosanjh Demand Tough Crime Law Be Enacted

A P Kamath

British Columbia, which has seen a big rise in youth gang violence and witnessed the murder of many gang leaders including Bindi Johal, is backing a proposed law that would lower the age of those who receive adult sentences. The province is also demanding more funds -- at least $ 5 million annually -- to fight organized crime.

Dozens of teenage Indian Canadians and immigrants from Guyana and Trinidad, also of Indian origin, have joined many gangs led by Chinese and Vietnamese youth, officials in Vancouver say.

Ujjal Dosanjh, British Columbia's attorney general who could become the premier of the province, said he is disappointed at the delay in introducing the Youth Criminal Justice Act for young offenders.

"I would have hoped that the package would have been introduced by now," said Dosanjh, known for his tough stance against crime, especially acts aimed at and involving children.

The act has been reshaped over several years and should be adopted although not all provinces think it goes far enough, he said.

"For Quebec, it's too tough and for Ontario, nothing is tough enough," Dosanjh said, urging a realistic view of the situation.

"It think this is a compromise that should be accepted and then changes can be made," he said. "It's time to move."

The two-day meeting starting today will also include Justice Minister Anne McLellan.

The act would lower the age of those who get adult sentences to 14 from 16 and impose mandatory supervision on all young offenders who have done time.

It would also provide alternatives to jail for non-violent youth and force violent, high-risk youths to get intensive treatment. This is one of Dosanjh's favorite proposals, but many other politicians have reservations about it.

Ontario Premier Mike Harris believes the proposed act must be overhauled.

Harris referred to the case of Matti Baranovski, a Toronto high school student who was beaten to death in a park last month by fellow students. The premier said offenders under age 18 can hide behind the leniency of the proposed bill.

Jim Flaherty, Ontario's attorney general, said violent youth crime has increased 77 per cent nationwide during the past decade and more than four in 10 convictions involve repeat offenders.

"Yet Ottawa's response, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is the same Young Offenders Act with a new cover," Flaherty said in a news release.

Ontario will call for an end to "discount sentences" that put criminals back on the streets before they have served their full sentences.

"With these discount sentences, prisoners are allowed on the streets after they have served as little as two-thirds of their time," Harris said.

"Five years ago, 59 per cent of prisoners who wanted provincial parole were returned to the streets. That is astounding, that is unacceptable."

Harris said a newly-appointed parole board in Ontario has granted only 34 per cent parole requests.

But Dosanjh said British Columbia's parole board system works better than Ontario's because victims are permitted to read impact statements to board members.

"Our parole board has been functioning well," he said. "I haven't heard any complaints."

Dosanjh said the lack of federal funding to fight organized crime is another area he wants tackled at the meeting.

"Two years ago they said they were going to pour more money into [fighting] organized crime," said Dosanjh.

"The problem I have is that you can't have organized crime fighting enhanced with 400 vacancies in British Columbia where we are the largest consumers of the RCMP. In this province, we've been chronically underfunded."

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