The Price of Harper’s Omnibus Crime Bill

Harper’s omnibus crime bill is set to cost Ontario tax payers over $1 billion in increased police and correctional service costs. With this massive jump in spending toward a crime initiative that has failed in Texas, what are the repercussions on the end users – tax payers.

Canada is slowly and barely recovering from the worst economic downturn since the great depression and with the federal budget maxed out as it is, and about to undergo austerity, Harper has decided to ram his ideology down the throats of provincial finance ministers. As we speak, provincial budgets are in bad shape and their debt to GDP ratios are higher than that of the federal government.

Harper claims to be the low tax leader of a low tax party after recklessly taxing income trusts in 2006 – after making it crystal clear that he would never do it. “Don’t forget this! Don’t forget this!" he preached. Harper brought in 2012 with a tax on jobs as he hiked EI premiums and now, with this reckless spending projects, if provincial budgets aren’t axed in a way never seen before, Canadians can expect province-wide tax hikes to pay for the cost of the War on Drugs which the Texans have warned: doesn’t work.

Conservatives Tax Income Trusts

Conservatives Tax Jobs

Ontario isn’t the first province to criticize the plan – citing that it is expensive and that it has already hit 95% capacity in provincial jails and would have a 150% jump of new inmates by 2016 if passed – Quebec and Newfoundland have also condemned bill C-10 as it would overwhelm already maxed-out budgets and correctional facilities. On the other hand, Alberta, British Columbia, and New Brunswick support the bill – and are all run by Conservatives.

The Conservative omnibus crime bill: not only a failed approach to fight crime, yet another expense added on and yet another excuse for future tax hikes.

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Canada Going Backward on Crime
Excert: “The Americans have been fighting the war on drugs for more than 20 years with their tough-on-crime agenda. However, the Americans are now moving away from mandatory minimum sentences without any chance of parole as more than 20 states struggle to afford it in the current economic times. All the while, Tory PM Harper plans to impose their failed justice system on Canada.” Read More…