Apparently this is called "Justice" in Canada...

Mark your calendars folks, this week is a truly sad one for Canada's Justice System, although it is not the first such occasion nor do I suspect it will be the last. What has taken place this week has been described by many as a travesty, personally I don't feel that is a strong enough word to describe the transgression of justice that occurred and as a Canadian I hold my head in shame. I only hope that this is a call to action that echoes through the halls of parliament and one that motivates our politicians to create laws that set the standards for the rest of the world.

Earlier this week we witnessed one more example of how truly broken the system is and how a criminal's needs and rights generally supersede those of their victims. In our current legal system at times it seems that even when the crime is heinous and the victim is violated in ways that will have lingering consequences, the judicial attitude appears to lean in the direction that "too harsh" a sentence for the convicted will only ruin another life. The recent conviction of pedophile Graham James earlier this week is just one more classic example of how our system fails to protect society from the "worst of the worst". Just how bad are things?

Ahhh....A man after my own heart!

The last few days have seen a flurry of outcry in response to a remark made by one of Canada's senators. Now while I could comment about the fact that our political parties seem to have more interest in playing a game of one-upmanship than actually running the country, I will hold my tongue on that issue for another opportunity (Lord knows there are enough of them). Rather today I will share my thoughts on the comment that actually started the ball rolling on this one.

The comment was made by Sen. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, who has made a few remarks in the past that have got him into hot water. While I can't say I agree with all of his remarks I do see the wisdom in his latest one. Now before I go any  further here's a little history on the man, Boisvenu became a prominent victims' rights advocate after his daughter was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2002.  Prime Minister Harper appointed him to the Senate two years ago.

So what did he say that has got opposition parties and bleeding hearts up in arms?

Crime and Punishment in Canada

Everyday as I read the paper I come across articles about crime in Canada that literally make me wonder if as a society we are entitled to refer to ourselves as civilized. All manner of crime and abuse are perpetrated on the innocent and our ever evolving legal system at times appears to be more concerned about the legal rights and treatment of those that commit the crime than about the the actual victims. At times our legal system and particularly our courts and prison system act as revolving doors. Even worse is that while in prison many criminals are provided with an education that would rival that which many universities provide, unfortunately they receive it from their peers and the end result is that they emerge better trained and equipped to further their criminal careers.

Now don't get me wrong, I have the greatest respect for law enforcement, particularly for the men and women of police forces across this country who place their lives on the line everyday. What frustrates me (and I imagine the cops on the streets) is that our legal system does not support their efforts in many cases.

I could dwell on the above for days, weeks, months, years, in fact I have been most of my adult life, so for right now lets cut to the chase. My question for today is simple......