Tough-on-Crime Redux
By Chris Hall, CBC News
Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
The Conservative government loves to highlight its ''tough-on-crime'' agenda.
Take today's announcement by Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.
At a news conference in the foyer outside the House of Commons, Nicholson talked up the government's ''continuing efforts to support the victims of crime.''
The victims in this case were there — people who want Ottawa to enact stronger Criminal Code measures to deal with white-collar crime.
Nicholson was happy to stand with them. He compared the assault on people's savings to someone who is mugged in an alley.
And he vowed the government will introduce legislation in the upcoming session that will impose mandatory penalties for fraud — and a requirement that the courts consider restitution orders.
It sounded tough.
Just as tough as it did last month when Nicholson made this same promise.
In August, the justice minister announced the government wanted to bring in this legislation, an announcement that coincided with intense media coverage of Montreal investors who lost their savings in an alleged Ponzi scheme operated by financier Earl Jones.
Today's re-announcement that proposed legislation is still on its way comes amid news that two men in Alberta face charges of fraud after allegedly running a Ponzi-type scheme that raised more than $100 million from investors around the world.
It also came an hour after a group of victims who stood with him had held a news conference of their own on Parliament Hill.
About the Authors
- Rosemary Barton started her television career reporting from Quebec City where she covered the ins and outs of Quebec politics. She moved to the CBC Parliamentary Bureau in 2007. She also stood on the side of road awaiting U.S. President Barack Obama's motorcade for hours in the cold. When she finally spotted him, all of Canada heard her shriek, "I saw him!"
- Alison Crawford worked in Fredericton, Calgary and Winnipeg before returning to her hometown to work in the CBC parliamentary bureau. Her beats include the RCMP, justice, public safety and the Liberals. Alison credits her investigative skills as well as a national etiquette column and coverage of a ferret Christmas party, with having prepared her for covering national politics.
- Andrew Davidson is a producer for the CBC politics page in Toronto. He joined CBCNews.ca's national desk in 2006 and was the lead news writer for the website's 2008 federal election coverage.
- Chris Hall is the National Affairs Editor for CBC News. He's been a member of the CBC Parliamentary Bureau since 1998. That adds up to 11 budgets, four elections, three prime ministers and too many confidence votes to count. Chris started his career in print before moving to the CBC in 1992. Since then, he's worked in Toronto, Halifax and St. John's, as well as Ottawa.
- Leslie MacKinnon Leslie's been working in news and current affairs since newsrooms used teletype, televison was shot on film and radio tape was edited with a razor blade. She saw through The Journal's long run on CBC-TV, and since then has worked in Halifax, Toronto and Ottawa in the CBC's various permutations. Right now, she's a TV news reporter in the political bureau, and likes certain parts of Ottawa - the canal, the Hill - a lot.
- Janyce McGregor has been a television producer in the CBC's Parliamentary Bureau since 2001. She started her career working for Studio 2 on TVOntario. In 2005 her then-doctoral student husband persuaded her to follow him to the U.K., where she worked for BBC World Service Radio in London. Janyce is originally a farm girl from southwestern Ontario. Her most important job title is "Norah's Mom."
- Chris Rands has been a member of the Parliamentary bureau since 2001. He started at Toronto's AM Radio giant CFRB before moving to CBC's National Radio News in 1996. Chris has worked in Toronto, Moncton, Sudbury, Regina, Washington and St John's. Every time Chris walks up to the Peace Tower, he wants to throw his hat in the air like Mary Tyler Moore.
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