In 2004, before the Harper government came to office, 24 federal offences were subject to mandatory minimum sentences. By 2015, the number of offences that carried mandatory minimums had tripled to 72.
Lametti s office says the new bill will reduce that number by 20 offences, largely related to drugs and firearms.
Poor policy, good politics?
The emotional appeal of getting tough on crime is obvious and mandatory minimum penalties might reassure those Canadians who believe the justice system is too lenient.
But as the Harper government expanded the use of mandatory minimums, experts in justice policy protested that such sentencing guidelines had not been shown to actually deter crime. The Conservatives carried on undaunted.
The U.S. military and law enforcement are taking unprecedented measures to lock down the nation’s capital to prevent violence tied to Trump’s impeachment and President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
After the attack in Washington, D.C., last week, Texas state Sen. José Menéndez and several fellow Democrats sent a letter to the Republican governor and legislative leaders asking them to ban weapons at the state Capitol. Menéndez said no response had been received.
He said the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety shared his concerns and promised that state troopers and other law enforcement would be deployed to protect returning lawmakers.
OLYMPIA, Wash.
State capitol buildings across the nation including in Austin, Texas, where lawmakers are carrying weapons have called in the National Guard and erected barricades over fears that far-right groups and President Trump’s supporters are plotting a second wave of uprisings after last week’s storming of Congress.
An FBI warning of “armed protests” planned at all 50 statehouses and the U.S. Capitol in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20 has brought out SWAT teams and extra law enforcement officers dressed in camouflage, helmets, face shields and bulletproof vests.
The high alert unnerved an America that over the last seven days has been shaken by disturbing images: representatives fleeing a violent mob breaking into the nation’s Capitol, the impeachment for the second time of an increasingly reviled president, and scenes of rage, tears and threats playing out at airports and on city streets that underscore a dangero
Oakland Police Department to root out officers who endorsed Capitol takeover posts
FacebookTwitterEmail
Support of President Trump climb the west wall of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press
Oakland police pledged to investigate allegations that officers have endorsed or “been involved” in social media accounts of Wednesday’s Capitol takeover.
“We will not tolerate any form of hate speech, any expression that supports hate speech or any acts of subversion, whether in-person or on online platforms,” the department said in a statement released Friday.
The department said it learned that “current employees may have been involved on social media accounts that contain objectionable or offensive content.”