Parents should pay for child's property crime: N.S. Tories
Last Updated: Friday, May 22, 2009 | 2:13 PM ET
CBC News
Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservatives want to force parents to pay up if their children steal or vandalize property.
The party is proposing a new law to hold parents responsible for damage done by their children.
"Victims deserve to know that they are not going to be the ones held responsible for those costs," PC Leader Rodney MacDonald said on the campaign trail Friday.
"I've talked to a lot of Nova Scotians and they tell me that they are frustrated when they are victims of a property crime and the young person who does the damage gets what they feel is a light sentence. It simply isn't fair."
Under the party's proposal, a property owner can start civil action for damages up to $5,000. There is some protection for parents, such as if they exercised "reasonable supervision" over their child when the crime occurred or they tried to discourage the activity.
The NDP said a similar law in Manitoba has been on the books for three years, though only one person has received compensation.
MacDonald is not deterred.
"If it helps one or two or three people … then I think it will be a success," he said.
The Tories are also proposing an overnight curfew for children 15 and under as part of their strategy to curb crime.
MacDonald said Thursday that if his party is re-elected June 9, it will become illegal for anyone under 16 to be out on the street unattended between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
He said the police would issue warnings, but parents could face fines of up to $500 if their children repeatedly defy the curfew.
