Putting repeat offenders behind bars will keep Canadians safe, Poilievre says

Even though an election call is not within sight, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre appears to be in full campaign mode as he brings his party’s platform to locations across the country. At the forefront of his message is one that resonates with Canadians: crime and keeping the public safe.

Appearing in Hamilton recently, Poilievre touched on many other familiar themes — rising costs, housing, immigration —  promising a different direction to take the country, away from policies implemented by former Prime Minister Justine Trudeau and his successor Mark Carney.

“We once had something in this country called the Canadian promise,” he told those gathered at Turkstra Lumber to hear his message. “It was a very simple deal. It wasn’t vague like the American dream; ours was a promise, and a promise is better than a dream. You wake up from a dream. A promise is a deal. If you do this, you get that. If you work hard, you get a nice house on a safe street, and you get meat and potatoes on the dinner table every night. Your kids can play safely in the front yard and maybe play a little street hockey. You go to bed feeling safe, and you know that your car will still be in the driveway when you wake up in the morning. That was the deal that attracted so many people to come here and start a new life.”

Poilievre went on to say that promise has been broken after 10 years of a Liberal government, and he wants to fix it.

Speaking to INsauga.com after his presentation to the Turkstra workers and posing for several photos, Poilievre returned to his message of public safety and elaborated on his plan to reverse the course that Canada is on, and he didn’t hold back on his criticism of the Liberals under Trudeau and now Carney.

He believes that crime and appropriate punishment are at the top of the list of what Canadian’s want, and despite Prime Minister Carney’s vow to get tough with offenders, Poilievre said the current Liberal government’s track record indicates they won’t go far enough.

“Liberal laws have unleashed chaos on our streets,” he said. “Whether it’s bail that allows repeat violent offenders to be released again and again within hours of their latest arrest. Or if it’s Liberal house arrest that allows recent convicts of serious crime to do their sentences in the comfort of their living room, easily walking out the front door to reoffend. We can’t go on like this, and people shouldn’t have to put up with it.”

He said the Conservative approach is to scrap Liberal bail, lock up repeat violent offenders and throw away the key.

Strong words, but ones the Conservative leader believes need to be said.

“Parents don’t want to have to go to bed at night worried that someone is going to kick open the door or take the keys and rob them of their car,” he said.

While crime constantly makes news in Southern Ontario, Poilievre says it’s not unique to the GTA, that it’s a theme in all of Canada.

He said the ease with which bail is granted for those who are charged with a crime makes it easy for the same culprits to hit the streets and do it again. He said police officers across the country have complained to him that the same group of criminals are the ones who are committing the crimes.

“The good news is we don’t have a lot of criminals,” he continued. “It’s just the ones we do have are very productive. If we can keep them behind bars, we could save Canadians from the suffering and anguish of crime victimhood.”

So much is his belief that repeat offenders are behind acts such as home invasions, car thefts and robberies, Poilievre says that more jails are not needed if the proper measures are in place to keep those who do commit crimes behind bars instead of being released back into the community.

And, Poilievre says the judges can’t shoulder the blame for being soft on crime, as they are implementing what Canadian law is directing them to do.

“The bail system must change,” he said.