ARCHIVED - Harper Government’s Abolition of Early Parole Act receives Royal Assent
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Criminals convicted of white collar crimes will no longer be released from prison after serving only one-sixth of their sentence
MONTREAL, March 24th, 2011 – The Honourable LarrySmith, Senator, on behalf of the Honourable Vic Toews, Canada's Ministerof Public Safety, today announced that Bill C-59, the Abolition of Early Parole Act, received Royal Assent.
“Our government is once again demonstrating its commitment torestoring Canadians' faith in the justice and corrections system byensuring serious convicted criminals are no longer released atone-sixth of their sentences. The passage of this legislation iswelcome news for all Canadians who believe criminals should servesentences that reflect the severity of their crimes,” said Senator Smith. “We will continue to take tough action that makes criminalsaccountable to those they have victimized with their crimes. We havemuch more work to do.”
The government also highlighted Bill C-39, the Ending Early Release for Criminals and Increasing Offender Accountability Act. Today's announcement will move Canada one step closer to a system of earned parole.
“Our government is pleased with today's progress that furtherprotects the rights of victims and makes criminals more accountable fortheir crimes. However, there is still more work to be done,” addedSenator Smith.
The proposed amendments to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act would:
- make the protection of society the paramount principle of the system;
- enshrine victims' participation in conditional release boardhearings, and keep victims better informed about the behaviour andhandling of offenders;
- increase offender accountability;
- authorize police to arrest an offender breaking release conditions, without having to obtain a warrant; and
- emphasize the importance of the seriousness of an offence in Parole Board of Canada decision-making.
See also:
- Bill C-59, the Abolition of Early Parole Act, see Backgrounder.
- Bill C-39, the Ending Early Release for Criminals and Increasing Offender Accountability Act, see Backgrounder.
Information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
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