As reported by CTV, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Tory justice minister – echoing similar statements from his Ontario and Quebec counterparts – says the crime crackdown by the federal Conservative government is a potentially “costly gaffe that undermines democracy”. Felix Collins agreed with critics who say that the Conservative legislation will result in increased jail rates, and that locking up more people for longer is hardly the way to reduce crime. Collins said he has never seen a study that favours more jail time as a way to cut rates of reoffence and improve public safety. Collins also raised concerns at the province having to foot the court and jail costs of the Conservative law-and-order agenda. He said a committee representing Atlantic provinces is assessing the potential price tag.
