On May 1, a portion of the Tackling Violent Crime Act came into full force, and with it comes increased safety and security for all Canadians.

Our federal government has been working hard for the past two years to bring Bill C-2 to fruition. From this day forward, Canadian youth is better protected from adult sexual predators because the age of protection for sexual activity has been moved from 14 to 16 years old. In fairness, the legislation includes a close-in-age exception for 14- and 15-year-olds who engage in consensual, non-exploitive sexual activity with a partner who is less than five years older. An exemption will also apply for marriages and other relationships that existed before the legislation came into force.

There is now tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes. Furthermore, new “reverse onus” bail provisions require gun crime suspects to show the court why they shouldn’t do jail time until their case is heard.

Two remaining provisions are scheduled to come into force on July 2. At that time, Canadians will be protected by more effective sentencing and monitoring to prevent dangerous, high-risk criminals from offending again. The Tackling Violent Crime Act makes it easier for Crown prosecutors to obtain Dangerous Offender designations, which is one of the most severe sentences available in Canadian law.

We will also see new ways to detect and investigate drug-impaired driving and stronger penalties for impaired driving. The Tackling Violent Crime Act will provide the police with better tools to detect and investigate drug- and alcohol-impaired driving. Police can conduct roadside sobriety tests and police trained as drug recognition experts can test suspects for drugs, alcohol, or both. They can also take samples of bodily fluids to determine whether these substances are present.

Canadians have been delivering a recurring theme to their federal representatives – give us back our streets and deal accordingly with anyone who threatens our safety. Bringing Bill C-2 into force puts the old “slap-on-the-wrist” penalties into the pages of history. We are simply getting tough on the people who deserve it without sacrificing fairness or equality.

With Bill C-2 now active and on the books, the only people who won’t benefit are the criminals that Canadians want to see brought to justice.

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The audio version of Garry's May 12, 2008 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here