The head of Winnipeg's police union is welcoming proposed changes to Canada's parole system announced Monday by the federal government.

Winnipeg Police Association president Mike Sutherland said current parole provisions for prisoners have eroded public confidence in Canada's justice system and desperately need to be altered.

"Giving unearned, premature freedom to those who have been convicted for serious offences has and continues to be a recipe for disaster for innocent Canadians," Sutherland said.

The federal government said it will introduce legislation that would force some convicted criminals to demonstrate they have earned their early release from prison and are committed to rehabilitation.

The new legislation will change existing laws that allow non-violent criminals convicted of a first offence to be eligible for early parole after serving just one-sixth of their sentences and full parole after serving one-third of their sentences, said Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan at a press conference in Montreal.

He said under the current laws, offenders such as fraudsters and drug dealers are routinely granted parole in these circumstances unless the parole board believes the parolees might commit violent crimes.

Monday's announcement sets the stage for further changes to the parole system and could mean the eventual elimination of statutory release, the government said.

Under statutory release rules, federally sentenced offenders must serve the final third of their sentence in the community — under supervision and conditions similar to those for offenders on full parole. Offenders on statutory release are inmates who either did not apply for release on parole or who were denied release on parole. Those serving life or indeterminate sentences are not eligible.

Recommendations date back nearly 3 years

In December 2007, a Correctional Service of Canada review panel recommended the abolition of statutory release and accelerated parole. The parole system should be one in which inmates earn their early freedom by participating in rehabilitative programming, the panel said.

Most federal inmates automatically receive statutory release after they serve two-thirds of their sentences although they can be denied statutory release if evidence is presented that proves they pose a major risk to public safety.

The review panel's recommendations factored into the proposed changes to the parole system, said Manitoba Conservative MP and Treasury Board president Vic Toews.

Toews echoed Sutherland's view that current parole provisions are unsettling to the public.

"When criminals get a slap on the wrist, law-abiding Canadians lose confidence in our justice and corrections systems," Toews said in a statement.

"Until they've served an appropriate sentence, criminals belong behind bars and not on the streets of our communities," he said.