NEWS RELEASE  

March 5, 1996                                                                                                                        For Immediate Release 

BREITKREUZ SECONDS TWO BILLS WHICH GET TOUGH ON KILLERS - REAL TOUGH!  

"Murderers should face the death penalty and drunk drivers who kill should get 7 years in jail."  

Ottawa - Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, has wasted no time now that the Liberals have been brave enough to call Parliament back, even if it is a month later than it should have been. Last week, Breitkreuz jointly seconded a Private Member's Bill (C-201) introduced by Dick Harris, Reform MP for Prince George-Bulkley Valley. Mr. Harris' bill calls for a mandatory minimum jail sentence of seven years for people convicted of impaired driving causing death. 

"In 1994, drunk drivers killed 1,414 people, three times the number of those murdered," said Breitkreuz. "Even though section 255(3) of the Criminal Code provides a 14 year maximum penalty, a review of actual sentences for these killers shows that they only get anywhere from one to four years in jail. Is this what another person's life is worth?"  

This week Breitkreuz seconded another Private Member's Bill (C-218) introduced by Reform MP, Jay Hill from Prince George-Peace River which would reinstate capital punishment for first degree murderers. "I don't know all the details about the double murder in Yorkton last weekend but it is my personal belief that juries should have the death penalty as a sentencing option in cases involving premeditated murder. Reform's official position is that we want a binding, national referendum on capital punishment so voters have the opportunity to send a clear message on the law they want their government to pass. In the meantime, I am pleased that this issue will once again be debated in the House of Commons. Hopefully, the Liberal government will have the courage to let all MPs have a free vote."  

National public opinion polls consistently show about 70 percent support for reinstating the death penalty. In a 1994 householder survey of 1,533 of Breitkreuz' constituents, 79 percent "believed in capital punishment for premeditated murder". In a scientific survey, conducted in the Yorkton-Melville constituency by the University of Saskatchewan, 68.5 percent of the respondents said they believed in capital punishment and only 23.7 percent were against it. 

"I think it's time for the government to start implementing laws that the vast majority of voters in this country want, and neither the Liberals nor the Supreme Court should be able to override a decision made by the people in a binding, national referendum. Most people agree that the likes of Paul Bernardo and Clifford Olson should face the ultimate punishment for their monstrous murders. They showed no compassion for their victims, and society owes them nothing but a fair trial and a punishment that fits the horrendous nature of their crimes," concluded Breitkreuz.  

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For copies of these bills or more information please call: 

Yorkton: (306) 782-3309 

Ottawa: (613) 992-4394