During this holiday season, senior Conservative cabinet ministers are having a hard time staying out of trouble.
This time, it's Justice Minister Peter MacKay lashing out at judges for circumventing new rules requiring them to impose financial penalties on people convicted of a crime: doubling of the fine for a summary offence to $100 and $200 for an indictable offence. The money is earmarked for victims’ services.
The surcharge, in effect since October, removes a judge’s discretion to waive fees if an offender is so poor that he cannot pay the penalty. Judges across the country are finding creative ways around the rules when they're faced with homeless people who live in shelters. Strategies include giving people 50 years to pay off the fine.
MacKay has a solution. In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, he suggests people sell off "a bit of property" to come up with the cash to pay the penalty.
http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/justice-minister-says-homeless-should-sell-property-pay-court-fines
Serious Canada these are the Idiots you elected
No comments:
Post a Comment