Hon. Jay Hill, Former Conservative MP and Cabinet MinisterI confess to being still half asleep a few days ago when a headline woke me from my early morning lethargy. It spoke of another crime spree, not in Chicago, Detroit, or Washington, DC, but right here at home in peaceful, polite, and prosaic Canada. As I sat in the hoped for safety of my living room Lazy-Boy with my first coffee of the day, pondering this startling announcement, I reflected upon a memory from 2002.At the time, my wife and I were on a winter vacation in beautiful Costa Rica. While there, we enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing two weeks split between the north and south Pacific coast. We decided to spend the last night before our flight home visiting a cousin of mine in the capital city of San Jose. It was an eye opener.While he, his wife, and two small children had a beautiful home in a nice part of the city, they told us it was far from safe. Like in other Caribbean countries we had visited, all the windows were barred, plus the doors were solid, windowless, and of steel construction with multiple locks. My cousin told us that in addition to securely locking themselves in, he also paid a monthly fee to a private security company which provided heavily armed guards to patrol their neighbourhood at night. .MINDERHOUD: When conservatives concede the classroom to gender identity warriors.As we headed to the airport the following morning, I remarked that I would never want to live like that. Rather than locking up the criminals, having to lock yourself, your spouse, and children up every night. Instead of relying on the police, judges, and courts to enforce the laws and hold the scumbags accountable, finding it necessary to share the cost with your neighbours to hire militarily equipped and trained bodyguards to watch over your home and family. Yet here we are. Or close to, it seems. In Ontario over the Labour Day weekend, a man attempted to defend his family during a violent home invasion. The homeowner was shot to death in front of his wife and young children. Conversely, last month another man in Ontario successfully defended his home and family from a home intruder. In his case, he beat the criminal so thoroughly that the invader required hospitalization. The homeowner was then arrested and charged with assault! In another case, a woman was kidnapped from her car in broad daylight and her home broken into an hour later where a man was shot. Yet despite multiple charges including attempted murder, one of the five suspects was out on bail the very next day. .These types of crimes are becoming far too common. What advice do we receive from police concerning this rise in crime? In the unlikely event you are faced with an intruder in your home, the Chief of York Police Jim MacSween recently said, “The best defense for most people? Comply.” Not … do all you can to protect yourself and your family but instead allow yourself to become a victim. Hide in a safe room or flee. Similarly, when a Toronto police officer was asked last year to comment on the 400% increase in home invasions and break-ins to commit auto theft, his advice was to leave your car key fob by the front door. Why not just leave the key in the car and the car in the driveway? That way in addition to the home, the thief doesn’t need to bother breaking into your garage either. .EDITORIAL: Statehood for Palestine? Why premature recognition would be a grave mistake.As successive Liberal laws and court interpretations over the past decades have left us less capable of self-defence, citizens have been told to rely on the police for protection. But we all can’t live across the street from a police station. What happens if you’re a farmer or reside on an acreage outside of the city? When Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith was asked for her thoughts about the homeowner being charged, commonsense Canadians cheered when she opined, “well, if you don’t want to get shot or beaten up, don’t break into people’s houses!”.The fact of the matter is that our federal law governing self-defence is so poorly written that it is useless as a guide to direct the police or courts towards common sense. The right of citizens to “reasonable and proportional” force is so ambiguous that it forces a threatened individual to decide in a heartbeat whether their intended response will be deemed excessive by a police officer, prosecutor, and judge. So, what can be done to stop the slippery slope to becoming another Costa Rica?.MACLEOD: Guided by principles, Alberta’s future as an independent nation.First, repeal former Bill C-21, another misguided Liberal gun control act that prevents law-abiding firearm owners from protecting themselves, their families, and homes. This nonsensical Trudeau law dictated a national freeze on the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns to individuals within Canada. It went into effect on October 21, 2022, and remains in place. There is no empirical evidence that supports the argument that this ban protects Canadians. Criminals, yes … homeowners … not so much. Or that legally owned handguns are used in the commission of crimes. In fact, I would argue that it ensures Canadians are more vulnerable because gun wielding home invaders are more assured than ever that homeowners cannot adequately defend themselves! Second, amend the Criminal Code of Canada to implement so-called “Castle Law” whereby citizens have the right to defend their homes as though they are their castles. Forget the wishy-washy language of reasonable force, or defense commiserate to the perceived threat. If you truly want to see an end to violent home invasions, have a few intruders shot to death..While perhaps viewed by some as “cruel and unusual punishment” that will be a much greater deterrent than our current revolving door, catch-and-release, injustice system. There are affordable handgun safes available that can be securely fastened directly atop or to the side of a bedside table that can only be safely and silently opened with a thumbprint. And, not much handgun training or practice is necessary to hit a target from just three or four meters away. Now, if only a law-abiding Canadian citizen were permitted to purchase the gun to go in it.Governments, both federal and provincial, must make regular use of the Not-Withstanding Clause to ensure that laws passed to combat crime and protect citizens are not overridden by judges that believe the law is unduly harsh. There must be serious time (incarceration) for serious crime. If we can’t have judges held directly accountable to the people, then they must be answerable to those that are elected to make the laws..LYTLE: Elbows up Mr. Carney.It is time to enact serious bail reform and seek sufficient support from the other parties in both the House of Commons and Senate to have it provide immediate direction to the courts. Provide the necessary funds at both levels to ensure adequate housing for criminals awaiting trial, in addition to those convicted. If their personal history proves they’re a serious threat to anyone (especially a former spouse) and cannot be trusted to obey the laws … keep them locked up! Finally, if we cannot make common sense changes to the Criminal Code to fight crime across Canada, then it’s yet another reason for Alberta, and/or the West, to seek independence. Perhaps then we can enact laws for the protection of law-abiding citizens and punishment for criminals … that make sense to the majority of our population!Hon. Jay Hill, Former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister
