The election of Julian Fantino to the federal Conservative caucus would appear to be victory for Stephen Harper; however, only time will tell if this is really the case.
Over the years Fantino has always expressed his concern over the safety of the officers who served under him. He was well aware his officers were exposed to extra danger because they had to hunt down and rearrest repeat offenders who had not been rehalbilitated while they were incarcerated or after serving their sentences.
In a speech he made some time ago, Fantino stated "the current system is a bust because most violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders who are not being rehabilitated."
He also noted that the cost of keeping an offender in jail for one year was enough to put two people through four years of university. He also stated that too much money is spent reacting to crime rather than preventing it and that "the justice system was broken."
Fantino has called for stiffer sentences for some crimes, which is in line with current Conservative policy; however, he also supports and is aware of the long-term benefits of rehabilitation and crime prevention initiatives -- which, unfortunately, are not a priority in the Harper-get-tough-on-crime policy.
Is the stage already set for conflict?
Bill McLaughlin Brantford