Omnibusters are keeping up the resistance and have some awesome ideas about what steps we can take now to prevent the “Safe Streets and Communities Act” from becoming the travesty of justice that it is.
The C-10 crime bill that puts prisons before communities, that imposes mandatory minimum sentences for minor crimes, and that denies rehabilitation passed yesterday in the House of Commons 157-127. The Bill, which was controversially rammed through Parliament, was passed 45 days from when it was tabled, excluding it from the due process of scrutiny to which such sweeping legislation would normally be subjected. C-10 was roundly and strongly criticized, not only by activists, but also by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ligue des droits et libertés, as well as the justice ministers of Ontario, Québec, and Newfoundland. The costs of the bill, forewarned by Correctional Services Canada, have yet to be made public. In August CSC warned that there were not even double occupancy prison cells to accommodate the explosion of inmates that C-10 will engender.
So, what can we do next?
In tandem with our allies at LeadNow.ca, It Could Get Worse will be keeping up the fight to prevent this law from damaging Canadians’ lives and crippling provinces’ budgets. We will be taking a 3-pronged approach:
Pressure your Premiers! The MLAs (and MNA’s in Quebec) have an important role to play is halting the progress of this heinous piece of legislation. Your provincial governments will be forced to pay for the prisons that C-10 will build, unless we can stop it from going forward.
Seduce the Senate! In spite of Harper’s sweeping appointment to the Senate, remember that Senators are people too! Some of them have other careers and are public personalities. So while they may not be directly accountable to any constituents, they are not accountable to Stephen Harper. They are, however, susceptible to public opinion. Right now, the Senate party break-down looks like this: Tories 55, Libs 42, Independent 2. We will be releasing a statement with the names and contact info for the 10 Conservative Senators most likely to be swayed by reason and democratic principles later this week. We will be calling and e-mailing them, and will be urging Canadians to do the same. The power of the Senate is to introduce amendments that the Conservative Government was too short-sighted and cruel to introduce themselves.
Mobilize the Media! Our site contains tonnes of useful links to petitions, articles, and informative points on the dangers C-10 and its astronomic potential costs. The Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Huffington Post, Globe & Mail, The Economist, the CBC, CTV and countless independent media like rabble and Forget the Box have published articles and op-eds denouncing Bill C-10. Share the articles, share our videos, make your own, and get the word out: mandatory minimum sentences and more prisons are not the answer to crime in Canada, which was at 38-year all-time low at the time this bill was proposed.
On Friday (Nov. 25) Omnibusters were out in force letting the larger media know that C-10 is not a good idea.
In a show of solidarity with over 150 protests around the country the day before, we showed up in front of NDP MP and ally Hélène Laverdière’s office in Montréal. CTV Montreal, APTN National News, Global TV Montreal, CKUT, and RGmag were there to get the story, cameras and note-pads in tow.
Jordan Arseneault told CTV’s Stéphane Giroux “Poor people, First Nations and people stuck in cycles of violence will be adversely affected,” he said, although he also lambasted the bill for privileging the wealthy who are able to afford better legal representation to keep them out of jail.
Omnibuster Jason C. McLean This bill opens the door for so many bad things. I mean, our prison system’s not great already. There’s a disproportionate number of native people in prison. It’s not perfect and this bill will make it worse.” See the video here:
Hélène Laverdière pointed out that “If the money used for prisons would be invested in social programmes… it’s not only because it’s nice for people, it’s also because it’s the wisest way of doing things.” Behind her, Omnibuster Jordan Van Tassel showed up to hold the “Kill Bill C-10” banner made especially for It Could Get Worse. He later did an interview for CKUT’s Friday Off the Hour.
Marlo Turner Ritchie, whose Omnibusting has helped get the media attention for It Could Get Worse and who has been writing numerous letters to MPs, hammered home to RGmag that the demo was not a fringe movement: the governments of Ontario, Newfoundland, and especially Québec have roundly criticized Bill C-10’s unjust and short-sighted mandatory sentences.
While this media coverage really helps the cause, it’s really up to all of us to let our voices be heard.
Inspired by all the great work over at http://www.itcouldgetworse.com , I wrote the letter below and sent it to the 12 members of the Parliamentary Justice Committee. It took me all day & it may not be the best piece of writing I’ve ever done, but I felt compelled to do something other than post one more link on Facebook offering up appalling evidence of the federal government’s ominous disregard for its citizens well-being and safety.
Letter to:
Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, Ontario (Member of Justice Committee)
I am writing you today because I feel strongly opposed to Bill C-10. I reach out to you today as a Canadian voter and taxpayer, as a concerned aunt of six great children and as a crime victim.
In 2002, I was assaulted by a man with a long history of mental illness and alcoholism. I later learned that my assault had not been an isolated incident; he had previously assaulted at least two other women. I strongly believe that if he had received adequate treatment as a youth, he would not have developed a pattern of violence.
I was extremely grateful for the support I received from CAVAC, the crime victim’s assistance centre affiliated with Québec’s Ministry of Justice. They were helpful and supportive throughout the lengthy process of my recovery. My case was tied up in the court system for over two years, there was no measure of solace to be found in that waiting period. And I cannot say that the incarceration of my assailant would offer any solace. Solace was found through the personal work I did with the help of CAVAC, a good therapist and time.
The new crime bill will force so many more cases through the justice system, it’s hard to imagine a scenario other than longer waits for trials. The federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has repeatedly refused to offer concrete facts as to the benefits or costs of Bill C-10, offering up again and again, hollow talking points about “being concerned about victims”. As a crime victim, I am much more interested in prevention than deterrence. Prevention means eradicating child poverty, treating mental illness and fetal alcohol syndrome, strengthening programs for at-risk youth. None of these measures are even addressed in Bill C-10. Instead the bill aims to put more people – even teenagers! – in jail at an inestimable, and completely obfuscated, price tag. And to what effect? There is ample evidence that criminal behaviour is only honed in jail, and with the Bill’s provision to remove restrictions on the force prison guards may inflict on prisoners, a cycle of violence will spiral further out of control. These prisoners will be released some day. Do we not want them to come back as members of society or as predators further damaged by the prison experience?
The Canadian Bar Association is opposed to this bill, Aboriginal leaders are against it, the provincial governments of Ontario and Quebec are against it, even Republican Texans question the logic of enacting measures that they have found to be ineffective to the point of crippling their state economy. Please tell me why the Conservative government is in such a rush to enact this bill, without considering the concerns of community leaders, criminal justice professional or even addressing the many amendments the NDP and Liberal MPs have proposed?
I beg you, Mr. Woodworth, to consider the many negative effects Bill C-10 will have on the future of our youth, our communities, our country.
"Calling is effective, it really works," attests MP Laurin Liu, who opposes the Omnibus Bill C-10 because "it doesn't help victims, it only creates new ones."
Laurin Liu, MP (NDP, St-Eustache)
KILL BILL C10 banner by Omnibuster G Tucker for It Could Get Worse
Hello Omnibusters! The Big day has come! Today, when you go to call or e-mail your MP, back it up with a few key points about why this bill must not pass! Personalize your message, include your own story or research, but feel free to use any combination of these points from It Could Get Worse and other sources (CBC, Rabble, John Howard Society, CBA, CCLA, etc.)
See the related post “Justice is Calling” for which MPs are on the Justice Committee that we urge you to call today. “Calling is effective, it really works,” attests MP Laurin Liu, who opposes the Omnibus Bill C-10 because “it doesn’t help victims, it only creates new ones.”
It Could Get Worse – Don’t let it! Call your MP today.
1) Hi I’m _____ from _____(feel free to say where you grew up, i.e. “Saint John, New Brunswick” or say Montréal. Non-voting Canadians and non-residents can call too. Anyone can call the MPs on the Justice Committee and be heard! List below.)
2) This bill needs serious reconsideration and should be dropped entirely in order to focus on preventative measures, not punitive ones
3) Republican governors and state legislators in such states of Texas, South Carolina, and Ohio are repealing mandatory minimum sentences, increasing opportunities for effective community supervision, and funding drug treatment because they know it will improve public safety and reduce taxpayer costs,” said Tracy Velázquez, executive director of the Washington-based Justice Policy Institute. (CBC)
4) Keeping a person in prison costs $100,000 a year. This is far more than it takes to help people get education, housing, and mental health services that are really needed to stop crime.
5) Canada’s aboriginal people already represent up to 80 per cent of inmates in institutions in the Prairies, a national embarrassment that Bill C-10 will make worse.
6) Scaling back on house arrest! That’s crazy! Canadian Bar Association attests.
7) Eighty per cent of my students are criminals under this legislation.About 10 to 20 per cent of them would be liable to a mandatory minimum sentence in a federal penitentiary of two years for simply passing a tab of ecstasy at a party on university campus,” said Eugene Oscapella, a lawyer who was a founding member of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy and has appeared many times before Canadian Parliamentary committees on drug policy issues.
8) Federal spending on corrections in Canada has gone up from $1.6 billion in 2005-06, when Stephen Harper’s Conservatives took power, to $2.98 billion in 2010-11. That’s an increase of 86 per cent. Soon, it will double.
9) If mandatory sentences for small crimes and repeat offenses are instituted, the system overload will be tremendous. Already there are not enough lawyers available to do legal aid for people who are accused and cannot afford representation. This will result in the poorest and most disadvantaged people being stuck in a cycle of crime and kept at the margins of society.
10) Victimizing the most vulnerable. With mandatory minimums replacing conditional sentences, people in remote, rural and northern communities will be shipped far from their families to serve time.
11) Increased privatization, which will make prisons more and more independent from a responsible government approach to monitoring the conditions in those prisons.
12) There is nothing in the bill that will improve the likelihood of people rehabilitating after incarceration, and no funding is planned for improving rehabilitation services.
Three reasons from the John Howard Society of Manitoba:
13) Preventative programs are more effective at fighting crime than blindly lengthening prison sentences; Bill C-10 contains no provisions to better fund prevention programmes, which the Harper Government has already started cutting;
14) Cost: in the US, the cost of running the prison system has gone up 600% in the last 30 years without any real impact on crime rates.
15) Social cost: The prison-focused system creates more and more social and economic inequalities;”Putting people in jail for longer periods of time keeps them away from their families and communities, and they’re away from their responsibilities, making it harder for them to reintegrate into society.” – John Hutton, Nov 2011
Below are six broad points where the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is most concerned about the impact of this Bill:
16. Broad and vague amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: Amendments give a very broad mandate to deny any foreign national a work permit and do not specify what factors would be used to target an individual as ‘at risk’ of being exploited. It is also poor public policy to punish foreign individuals who are vulnerable to abuse as opposed to addressing the Canadian employers who exploit these populations. 17. Hollow expansion for the rights of victims: Both torture and terrorism are serious crimes of international concern. Numerous Canadian victims of torture have been unable to access meaningful justice in Canadian courts– and yet the government has chosen only to make these amendments available to victims of terrorism. Even victims of terrorism would have to have their cases ‘pre-approved’ by the government, which has the ability to decide which governments can and cannot be sued. Canada should not play politics with victims of torture and terrorism. 18. Unconstitutional use of mandatory minimums: The use of mandatory minimums for broad and vague underlying offences may result in the imposition of unjust, grossly disproportionate sentences. The drug provisions include low-level drug offences – producing as little as six marihuana plants – and extremely broad aggravating factors which would target all those who rent or live in a house they do not own.
The child pornography provisions criminalize, and would impose mandatory minimum jail sentences, for the consensual, legal sexual activities of youth and young adults. There is little evidence that mandatory minimums provide any deterrent impact, enhance community safety or lower crime rates. There is also little evidence to suggest that they will significantly impact sentences for the most serious offenders – who are already being sentenced to significant amounts of jail time by the judiciary. Rather they will handcuff the judiciary, preventing them from responding to unique facts and exceptional personal circumstances. >> Read CCLA’s op-ed on this question “Mandatory Minimum Sentences Are Just Plain Wrong“
19. Prison conditions and disparate impact of amendments on aboriginal peoples and persons requiring mental health care: The proposed will amendments greatly increase the prison population, and are likely to have a disproportionate and devastating impact on already-marginalized communities – particularly Aboriginal peoples and those with mental health needs. These populations are already greatly over-represented in correctional institutions, and existing programs and services are already ineffective and insufficient to keep up with general demand.
On Tues. Nov. 22nd, all day and night, and Wed. Nov. 23rd, we will be focusing our calling efforts on the Conservative members of the Justice Committee.
We will seek to convey the many, many reasons why this bill is unjust, unjust, unnecessary, and against the values of thinking, caring Canadians of all stripes.
Please be polite to their assistants, and if you get them on the phone, remind them of the AVAAZ petition and LeadNow campaign, and that the Canadian Bar Association, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and the Governments of Ontario, Québec and Newfoundland are all opposed to Bill C-10. Please note that Conservative MPs are the ones to call first, it’s their reckless bill. MPs who already oppose the bill are listed below as well. You may call them too, if you wish, but know that they are our allies against the omnibus crime bill C-10.
Be an OMNIBUSTER. It Could Get Worse – Don’t Let it! Thank you!
Dave MacKenzie, Committee Chair (CALL THIS GUY! It’s his boss’s bill that will make more jails and longer sentences, putting more people in jail for non-violent crime. Tie up his phone, tell him everything you can about the injustice of the punitive system. He should know better, he’s a former police chief.) Conservative, Oxford, Ontario Telephone: 613-995-4432 EMail: dave.mackenzie@parl.gc.ca
Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Committee Member, (Take her to task! Shame on Findlay for ignoring the facts!) Conservative, Delta-Richmond East, BC Telephone: 613-992-2957 EMail: Kerry-Lynne.Findlay@parl.gc.ca
Robert Goguen, Committee Member (APPELLE-LUI: il n’est pas acceptable que le député acadien soutienne le projet seulement parce qu’ils vont construire leurs prisons au N-B!) Conservative, Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, NB Telephone: 613-992-8072 EMail: Robert.Goguen@parl.gc.ca
Brian Jean, Committee Member (ALBERTANS: Call this MP and lay into him for supporting a bill that even Texas Republicans say is wrong and outdated!) Conservative, Fort McMurray – Athabasca, Alberta Telephone: 613-992-1154 EMail: brian.jean@parl.gc.ca
Brent Rathgeber, Committee Member (Again: Call him, tell him what you think about this punishment-obsessed bill and its rash financial consequences: C-10 is fiscally irresponsible!) Conservative, Edmonton-St. Albert, Alberta Telephone: 613-996-4722 EMail: brent.rathgeber@parl.gc.ca
Kyle Seeback, Committee Member (The Province of Ontario says it won’t fund this bill, tell Kyle to get with the programme and dump C-10!) Conservative, Brampton West, Ontario Telephone: 613-995-5381 EMail: Kyle.Seeback@parl.gc.ca
Stephen Woodworth, Committee Member (Again, Ontarians know better: C-10 is a waste of time, a waste of money, and a waste of peoples’ lives!) Conservative, Kitchener Centre, Ontario Telephone: 613-995-8913 EMail: stephen.woodworth@parl.gc.ca
MPs who ALREADY OPPOSE Bill C-10 and are working to stop it from becoming law (not a priority for calling, but feel free to send e-mails of support!):
Irwin Cotler, Committee Vice-Chair (He is trying to stop Bill C-10, we like him!) Liberal, Mount Royal, Quebec Telephone: 613-995-0121 Fax: 613-992-6762 EMail: irwin.cotler@parl.gc.ca
Charmaine Borg NDP (Terrebonne—Blainville), Committee Member (Like Omnibuster Laurin Liu, Charmaine is a younger member of the caucus. She has publicly blasted the bill’s proponents for trying to pass it through too quickly, and with little to no public consultation or respect democratic process. Go Charmaine!)
Telephone: 613-947-4788
Fax: 613-947-4879
EMail: Charmaine.Borg@parl.gc.ca
Jack Harris (NDP), M.P. for St. John’s East (Justice Critic for Official Opposition). Jack Harris is one of the leaders of the Opposition, and has stood against Bill C-10 in every possible way, including fighting its proposals clause by clause in committee. Bravo, Jack, Omnifilibusterer! Telephone: 613-996-7269 EMail: jack.harris@parl.gc.ca
Pierre Jacob, Committee Member (Totally against Bill C-10. Don’t give him a hard time! Comme Dany Morin, Laurin Liu, Irwin Cotler, il est déjà contre le projet de loi C-10) NDP, Brome-Missisquoi, Quebec Telephone: 613-947-8185 Fax: 613-947-8188 EMail: Pierre.Jacob@parl.gc.ca
"What would you want for your children, your grandchildren? To be sent to prison, or to have a chance to learn about reducing risks in their lives and those of others, a chance at reconciliation and healing?"
Marlo Turner Ritchie
Marlo was going to be part of our first batch of Omnibuster videos, but something came up, so she drafted this letter to the Chair of the Parliamentary Justice Committee, Conservative MP Dave MacKenzie. Call him. Write him. Now. It works. Thank you, Marlo!
It Could Get Worse – Don’t let it!
letter to:
Dave MacKenzie, MP (and Justice Committee Chair)
Federal, Conservative
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-995-4432
Email: dave.mackenzie@parl.gc.ca
November 22, 2011
Dear Mr. MacKenzie,
I am writing to register my deep concern and dismay over the proposed Omnibus 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.
I join with the thousands of other Canadians who have signed the petitions at Avaaz.org and Leadnow.ca, members of leading non-profit organizations, the Canadian Bar Association, and I am also bolstered by our elected representatives in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland.
I oppose this bill for three reasons and am inspired by young activists in Montreal working on a campaign called “It could get worse…don’t let it” to simplify my reasons as follows:
1) There’s no policy, money, or thought to prevention and education in the bill. Safer housing and help with mental health and drug addiction are the REAL efforts that help keep crime rates low 2) It’s too expensive! It costs over $100,000 a year to keep someone in prison. 3) The social costs are WAY too high. Putting people in prison creates criminals, not communities.
As a young woman with over fifteen years experience in management in the non-profit sector, I know that there are many complex social issues to sort through when it comes to creating safe, healthy communities. What would our country look like if everyone who had mental health challenges, addictions, or who were struggling with the compounded effects of poverty and discrimination of various forms, were given an equal shot at having a vibrant life? I’m deeply upset that this bill proposes threatens to criminalize those who need and deserve special care.
What would you want for your children, your grandchildren? To be sent to prison, or to have a chance to learn about reducing risks in their lives and those of others, a chance at reconciliation and healing?
I implore you to do everything in your power as Chair of the Justice Committee to engage with leading experts, who are working in the best interests of all citizens, and to revise this bill significantly.
The health of our communities and freedom of our youth depends on your actions.
Sincerely,
Ms. Marlo Turner Ritchie
BA in Humanities and Social Sciences
Youth Activist
Omnibuster Mark Slutsky, writer/film-maker/wit for It Could Get Worse
Marky Slutsky is our first Omnibuster with an IMDB entry! Long known for his pithy food writing and discerning film criticism, Mark took a break from writing and editing to tell us why “Bill C-10 scares me, and why it should scare you too.” Check out his work on Vimeo here. “Call your MP and tell them that Bill C-10 is a waste of time, a waste of money, and it’s a waste of people’s lives.” Omnibusted!
Sign the the petition, write and call your Member of Parliament now: tell them you oppose Bill C-10!
Omnibuster Geoffrey Tucker made this banner for us to use in any future public actions we may undertake, such as this Thursday, inspired by LeadNow.ca‘s day of actions planned for Nov. 24, in ridings in British Columbia and across the country.
Designed by illustrator Jen MacCormack for LeadNow, the gorgeous flyer invites Canadians to stand against the crime bill by wearing a cowboy hat in demos outside their MP’s riding offices. The cowboy theme refers of course to journalist Terry Milewski’s damning report on Texan legislators urging the Canadian government NOT to make the same mistakes they did, and to take a hard look at the social and fiscal costs of a prison and punishment-based system. It Could Get Worse – Don’t let it!
LeadNow.ca's Demo Flyer for Nov 24, 2011 by Jen MacCormack
Omnibuster Jordan Arseneault, (from Saint John, NB), is an editor, translator and out gay man. He gives you three important reasons to oppose the so-called “Safe Streets and Communities Act”:
1) There’s no policy, money, or thought to prevention in the bill. Safer housing and help with mental health and drug addiction are the REAL efforts that help keep crime rates low;
2) It’s too expensive! It costs over $100,000 a year to keep someone in prison!
3) The social costs are WAY too high. Putting people in prison builds prisons, not communities!
Omnibuster Antonio Bavaro hails from Sherwood Park, Alberta. He comes out against the Omnibus Crime Bill C-10 because “putting our youth in jail for longer periods of time keeps them away from their families, communities, and responsibilities, and makes it harder for them to reintegrate into our society. The Omnibus Crime will NOT make our communities, our families, and our youth safer.”
Sign the petition, and call your Member of Parliament now: tell them you oppose Bill C-10! It could get worse—don’t let it!
