IDLE TALK WON'T SAVE LIVES

The Boxing Day shooting tragedy in Toronto has shocked and saddened
us all. As a father, I cannot imagine a worse nightmare. As one
raised in Toronto, I see a different city than the one in which I grew up.

The brutal end to a promising young life should be a wake-up call to
all in positions of authority: a call to crack down on gun crime and
gang violence. For years, Canadians have been urging their
governments to get tough on crime. The time is long overdue for their
leaders to respond.

While this incident alone should be enough to prompt action, the sad
reality is that it continues a pattern. The number of gun murders in
Toronto has virtually doubled in the space of one year. Across the
country in 2004 we experienced a 12% increase in homicides.

Canadians know that the growing violence and the proliferation of
gangs, guns and drugs that accompany it are directly attributable to
years of government lassitude and neglect.

Failure to enforce drug laws (and high-profile attempts to weaken
them), a revolving door parole policy, and a myopic fixation on
registration of farmers' shotguns instead of penalties for gun crime,
have all taken their toll.

The federal government has left 1059 RCMP positions unfilled, it
disbanded the Ports Canada Police that once patrolled and protected
against gun smuggling, and it has no idea how many illegal guns are
present in Canada. Cabinet ministers take pride in legislation that
allows conditional sentences (basically, house arrest) to replace
incarceration -- even for serious crimes involving violence, weapons
and drugs. The law governing young offenders is weak and disrespected.

Is it any surprise that these woolly headed policies have exacerbated
the problems of gang, gun and drug crime? This is the current
government's record.

Little wonder that the federal government wants to turn the recent
shootings into an abstract discussion of rights and values.

Gang violence is not in the Charter of Rights. Gun crime is not a
Canadian value.

Equally shameful have been politicians' attempts to explain away what
happened. Some have implied that perhaps the shooters themselves were
victims of exclusion from society.

Law-abiding citizens were outraged by such blithe rhetoric. When a
young girl is killed and other innocent bystanders are injured while
they shop, it is no time for idle talk about social theories.

It is simplistic and naive to rationalize that young people turn to
gangs, drug trade and gun crime because they feel excluded from
society. More to the point, it is irresponsible for any leader to
make excuses for gang violence.

There is no making sense of senseless violence. There is no point
trying to understand a criminal act for which there is no excuse.

If feel-good sentiment were the easy antidote to gun crime, then
there should be fewer shootings than a generation ago. If government
hand-outs were a quick fix, then gang violence should be disappearing
rather than rising.

The law must impose mandatory prison sentences for weapons offences,
violent crimes and drug trafficking offences. We must end conditional
sentences (house arrest) for weapon offences and other serious crimes.

The law governing young offenders must be strengthened to require
that violent or serious repeat offenders 14 years of age or older be
tried in adult court. Further, statutory release, the law entitling
prisoners to parole after serving two-thirds of their sentence, must
be replaced with earned parole.

We must grant customs officers, who serve on the front lines of the
fight against gun smuggling, full resources to execute powers of
arrest. We must also re-establish the Ports Canada Police and allow
them to renew the fight against gun smuggling.

In addition to getting tough on crime, we must focus on prevention.
This includes investing in Canadian youth, ensuring the presence of
real opportunity, and offering positive role models. Federal,
provincial and municipal governments must co-operate with one another
and with police and community leaders to support programs that help
young people to recognize the dangers of violence in their schools
and community.

Prevention is only effective, however, if it includes deterrence and
strong law enforcement.

The Boxing Day tragedy should serve as a wake-up call. We need to
spend less time trying to rationalize gang violence, and more time
trying to stop it.