crime rate

Vic Toews acknowledges that the crime rate is going down, this time in a speech on increasing policing costs.

Conservative MP Guy Lauzon writes to his constituents about the latest crime statistics.

Vic Toews takes credit for the latest decline in the crime rate.

The murder rate increased slightly, but the overall crime rate and the violent crime rate declined in 2011.

Rachel Giese considers a possible connection between increased immigration and decreased crime.

Though the Conservatives have touted the cost of crime to explain its justice legislation, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews declined yesterday to say how much would thus be saved as a result of the government’s new measures. Instead, of the legislation’s effects, he offered the following.

Bruce Cheadle takes apart a recent study that questioned Statistics Canada’s crime data.

Mike Moffatt considers how much it would cost to increase the lithium levels in drinking water, and how much might be gained as a result.

Conservative backbencher Brent Rathgeber looks to the United States, seemingly to explain his government’s approach to crime.

Rob Moore considers the slightly rising crime rate in New Brunswick.

Having said the same thing this time last year, the Justice Minister restates his thesis on crime.

Stephen Harper, June 6, 2008. Ladies and gentlemen, I try to get off of Parliament Hill as often as possible to attend functions like this. It helps me to keep in touch with the issues that really matter to Canadians, and one issue I hear about time and time again, whether it’s among Canadians old or young, whether it’s in the East or West, in English or in French, is unacceptably high levels of crime. Everywhere I go I hear the same refrain: “Prime Minister, please crack down on criminals, get guns, gangs and drugs off our streets, stop behaviour that threatens our property and our persons, make our communities safer.” It’s a reasonable thing to ask of government. It’s one of the most fundamental reasons, maybe the most fundamental reason, the government exists, especially in Canada, a country that was founded on the principle of peace, order and good government … It’s one thing that they, the criminals do not get it, but if you don’t mind me saying, another part of the problem for the past generation has been those, also a small part of our society, who are not criminals themselves, but who are always making excuses for them, and when they aren’t making excuses, they are denying that crime is even a problem: the ivory tower experts, the tut-tutting commentators, the out-of-touch politicians. “Your personal experiences and impressions are wrong,” they say. “Crime is not really a problem.” I don’t know how you say that. I don’t know how you tell that to the families of the victims we saw on the screen today. These men, women and children are not statistics. They had families, friends, hopes and dreams, until their lives were taken from them … Obviously we cannot undo these travesties, nor can we erase the pain and suffering that they cause. But there is something we can do and that we must do, and that is to get serious about tackling crime in this country … What we’re doing, ladies and gentlemen, is starting to overhaul a system that’s been in place. In fact, we’re starting to overhaul a system that has been moving in the wrong direction for 30 years.