This is a good start, but Ontario also needs to do what has been the law in Quebec for a long time: seal family law records.  Make them available for only parties to the action, or the presiding judge.

 

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UPDATE: Oh, wait. I’m not being fair. Hudak announced today he plans to put a GPS bracelet on the violent thug standing next to your toddler in the playground! Feel better?

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“A Liberal government analysis showing Ontario jails incarcerate hundreds of dangerous criminals is poking holes in Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak’s pledge to release provincial inmates into chain gangs.

Documents obtained by the Star reveal that as of May 31, there were 2,885 sentenced inmates in Ontario institutions.

Of these, 16 prisoners were convicted of homicide-related offices – such as accessory to murder – 101 of serious violent offences, 79 of sex crimes, and 411 of assault.

While most such offenders do their time in federal penitentiaries, Ontario jails house their share of hardcore convicts.

“Tim Hudak is duping Ontarians by telling them his plan to put prisoners into the community poses no public safety risk,” Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Jim Bradley said in an email Sunday.

“He hasn’t done his research and, as a result, is proposing a plan that risks endangering Ontario families in their own communities.”

UPDATE: This story is already having an impact.  A contact has told me that the scheduled PC event for today – at the Toronto East Detention Centre – has been scrapped, and hurriedly relocated to the safer confines Ontario PC caucus room.  Something tells me that the Hudak Cons are starting to realize that the centrepiece of their platform – namely, to put hardened criminals in Ontario neighbourhoods – maybe wasn’t such a good idea after all.

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…is mutual.

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Whose values are Canadian values? Yours, perhaps?

As you may have heard, but likely didn’t, some federal Liberals and New Democrats were in a bit of lather last week. During his mandatory annual visit to the Calgary Stampede, Prime Minister Stephen Harper bashed his opponents (as expected) and insisted his Conservatives are super-duper winners (ditto).

Then he said this: “Conservative values are Canadian values.” And: “Canadian values are Conservative values.”

boy! When he said that stuff, the progressive side of the commentariat promptly went bananas. Liberal Leader Bob Rae — whose party Harper amusingly described as relevant as “disco balls and bell bottoms” — declared Harper was sounding pretty arrogant, which was true.

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Yesterday’s postings by me, GritChik, Dammit Janet and others led to an eruption in nasty comments by partisan Conservatives here and elsewhere, some even paid Hudak staffers. Their responses took three forms:

1. You’re desperate, nobody cares abortion, blah blah blah.
2. Hudak’s desire to defund abortion is old news, who cares, blah blah blah.
3. I’m glad he plans to defund abortion, and it’ll happen when we win the election, blah blah blah.

You can decide for yourself whether any of those arguments are compelling.  Me, I intend to continue to highlight what – in any political race – is a very important issue: namely, shouldn’t people know that PC leader Tim Hudak has never renounced his stated  desire to defund abortion?

Here is that position, in black and white, which has never changed:

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Quote:

“In an email to an ARPA [Association for Reformed Political Action] Contact, Hudak made it clear that he is pro-life and has signed petitions calling for abortion defunding and conscience legislation. The same email mentioned that he strongly agrees with conscience protection for health care workers. Added to this he has recently made it clear that the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal should be scrapped.”

It hasn’t captured many peoples’ attention, yet, but it has been known in Ontario political circles for a long time. For instance, Hudak became a strong supporter of rabidly anti-choice Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day because of his position on social issues like abortion (he called Day’s stances “great policy,” Hamilton Spectator, July 8, 2000). Back when he actively opposed John Tory’s leadership bid (Globe, July 26, 2004), and was co-chairing Jim Flaherty’s campaign, Hudak defended published attacks on Tory’s pro-choice stance. And so on.

Tim Hudak would defund abortion. It hasn’t partcularly been a secret. It’s just that some people hadn’t noticed.

So, will it become a campaign issue?

I’d say it just did.

H/t Dammit Janet

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If you’re like me, you get up every morning, check the moat, check the drawbridge, observe the changing of the guard, swill some grog, and then start reading National Newswatch!

And what will you see there that wasn’t there before? A signed copy of The War Room to the first to find out – and extol the many virtues of same!

Hear ye, hear ye!

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I’m about to do Sun TV – on guns, and on the Hudak PCs’ claim that keeping guns out of the hands of criminals is “useless.”

Then again, maybe it all makes sense: Hudak wants to put criminals in your neighbourhoods (see below) – and now, apparently, he thinks it’s okay to make it easier for them to get their hands on guns, too.

Bang bang.

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