76% BLAME LAX JUDGES FOR GUN VIOLENCE

Toronto Poll

TORONTO - More than three-quarters of Toronto residents believe
lenient judges are allowing gun crime to flourish in Canada's cities,
according to a poll conducted on behalf of the National Post and Global News.

Following the Boxing Day shooting of 15-year-old Jane Creba, 76% of
respondents to the Ipsos Reid survey said lax judges are a "major
factor" spurring gun violence. One of the suspects charged in
relation to the gunfight that killed Ms. Creba and left six others
wounded was out on parole at the time of the incident.

"People are really wondering what these judges are doing," said
Darrell Bricker, president of Ipsos Reid.

Eighty-nine per cent of Toronto residents polled blamed gangs for the
shootings that have made gun crime a top issue in the federal
election campaign while 78% cited drugs and drug trafficking.

In contrast, far fewer respondents pointed to social issues as the
cause of increased violence. Less than half said poverty was a major
cause of gun crime, while 31% blamed a lack of affordable housing,
45% cited inadequate funding for recreation programs and 49% listed
youth unemployment.

Mr. Bricker said the results suggest Torontonians want their
politicians to respond to the shootings rather than worrying about
the root causes of crime.

"The people want to look at immediate solutions that are specifically
related to the judicial system," Mr. Bricker said. "They're about
getting tough on crime and increasing sentences."

Senior federal bureaucrats will meet with their counterparts from
Ontario and Toronto today to identify solutions to a spate of
shootings that killed 52 people in the city last year. Among the
proposals under discussion are "reverse onus" provisions that will
require individuals charged with weapons offences to explain why they
deserve bail instead of forcing prosecutors to give reasons for
keeping suspects in jail.

Mayor David Miller, Premier Dalton McGuinty and Paul Martin endorse
the reforms.

At a news conference yesterday, a coalition of African-Canadian
groups suggested that those same officials ignored the shooting
deaths of dozens of black youth last year but jumped into action when
Ms. Creba -- who was white -- was murdered.

"We've had more than 40 black youth die as the result of gun violence
and we have not seen our governments react in such an immediate and
strong way," said Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, a spokeswoman for the
Coalition of African Canadian Organizations.

"We wonder if it was a black youth that was murdered on December 26
whether they would've moved as quickly."

The coalition also complained that leaders from Toronto's black
community were not invited to today's meeting.

City Councillor Michael Thompson said race is not what is prompting
government action. "People are sick and tired of what's taken place
in the city in terms of the gun violence. If this was a young black
boy . I believe the community would be in an uproar as we're seeing now."

Mr. Martin's anti-crime strategy includes plans to ban handguns and
increase minimum sentences for related crimes such as smuggling,
trafficking and possession of a gun in a public place.

Stephen Harper and the Conservative party want to introduce automatic
jail time for individuals convicted of weapons offences and want to
improve airport and border security.

Many of the parties' proposals are strongly supported by Toronto
voters, the poll results suggest. Sixty per cent of residents believe
inadequate gun laws are a problem while 62% worry about inadequate
border controls.

Both the Liberals and the Conservatives have accused their rivals of
blocking efforts to stiffen prison sentences for gun crimes. However,
Mr. Bricker said voters may end up punishing Mr. Martin and his party.

"There's only one guy who is up for re-election right now when this
issue is most intense," he said.

The views of Torontonians are closely reflected in the poll's
national results, Mr. Bricker said. For example, 88% of Canadians and
89% of Torontonians cited gangs as a major factor causing gun violence.

Gangs were also the top concern for Alberta, Manitoba and
Saskatchewan. Residents of British Columbia and Atlantic Canada were
more often worried about drugs and drug trafficking.

Despite increased concern about gun crime, 84% of Canadians disagreed
with the statement: "More and more, I want to have a firearm in my
household to protect my family and myself."

The pollsters note, however, that the 16% of respondents who agreed
with the statement represented close to four million adult Canadians.

The poll surveyed 8,336 Canadian voters via the Internet between Dec.
30 and Jan. 2. It is considered accurate within 1.1 percentage
points, 19 times out of 20.