We believe Canadians who commit crimes should be held responsible and pay for their actions. A system that grants pardons, allows sentences for severe crimes to be served under house arrest and grants benefits to prisoners is putting the rights of criminals above those of victims and law-abiding citizens.

Benefits like Old Age Security are provided to Canadians as a reward for years of hard work, paying taxes and following the rules. It is unfair to allow those in jail for breaking the law to access these same benefits.

Under the proposed legislation, criminals like Clifford Olson, who is currently receiving these government entitlements while in prison for murdering 11 children, forever altering the lives of their families and traumatizing the communities where he committed his dreadful crimes, would not be able to receive these payments. It is insulting to the victims of his heinous crimes and their families that he has access to such privileges.

Taxpayers should not be providing income to support inmates while paying for their incarceration. The purpose of Old Age Security is to provide a minimum income to help senior citizens meet their basic needs. While incarcerated, the needs of inmates are met, therefore eliminating the necessity of the benefit.

However, this bill would ensure low-income spouses and common-law partners of prisoners do not lose their individual entitlements to Old Age Security payments. We think only Canadians who have spent their lives working hard and playing by the rules should receive the benefits they deserve.

Another proposed change is the elimination of pardons for serious crimes. The current pardons system implies what the offender did is somehow okay, or is forgiven, or that the harm done has somehow disappeared. We disagree and wish to replace this system with one that puts public safety and the rights of victims first.

We will also be limiting the use of conditional sentencing, which allows criminals to serve their imprisonment sentence of less than two years in the community through house arrest or a similar arrangement. Conditional sentences will not be available for serious crimes resulting in bodily harm or involving drugs or weapons, or those with a maximum sentence of fourteen years to life.

With these new changes, we hope to send the message that we will not tolerate horrible crimes and those who commit them will not get off easy, but will be held accountable to the people they hurt. This should improve public safety.

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