Standing Up for Victims of Crime - Tony Clement MP Announces Truth in Sentencing Act in Effect
Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Tony Clement, MP for Parry Sound - Muskoka is pleased that the Truth in Sentencing Act is now in force. This legislation will strictly limit the amount of credit granted for time served in custody prior to sentencing.
“For far too long criminals were getting off the hook much earlier than they should, thankfully with our government’s action this will no longer be the case.” said MP Clement. “Our government is delivering on our commitment to ensuring that criminals serve the sentence that reflects the severity of their crime.”
Recently, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Rob Nicholson announced that the government’s Bill C-25, Truth in Sentencing Act is now in force. This legislation was initially announced in early 2009, but was delayed for months in the senate chamber by Liberal senators.
Bill C-25 caps the amount of credit that can be granted for time served in custody prior to sentencing (remand custody) at a ratio of 1 to 1. For example, if an offender who served 9 months in remand custody is sentenced to 4 years imprisonment, the net sentence will be 3 years and 3 months (4 years minus 9 months).
"This is a move in the right direction for Canada" said Fran Coleman, Executive Director of the Canadian Crime Victims Foundation (CCVF). "We gladly welcome the government's position as many people across the country spent years advocating for these changes to be made".
Under thirteen years of Liberal government, it was common practice for courts to grant criminals extra credit for time served before their trial, which put them back on the streets before they had paid their full debt to society.
The Conservative government puts the safety and security of law-abiding families first, and believes that criminals should be punished for their crimes. Today’s announcement is one more step for our government’s agenda to get tough on crime.
