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.