Ottawa - Gord Brown Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville today re-introduced his Private Members Bill calling for mandatory minimum sentences for manslaughters committed with a concealed weapon.
The Bill is in response to an apparent rise in knife crimes across Canada.
"Statistics Canada information for the five year period from 2000 through 2004 - the latest published - has a category called which shows that during that five year period, which accounts for 2,852 homicides, there were 840 shooting homicides and 849 stabbing homicides," says Brown.
Yet, traditionally sentences for assaults with knives have been minimal.
He cites the case of the late Andrew Moffitt of Brockville whose killer was released after 18 months in jail following his conviction.
The Bill also ensures victims' interests are taken into account during the conditional release process and that only the actual time spent in pre-trial custody is credited toward a term of imprisonment.
Brown asked for and received rare unanimous consent to number his Bill C-393.
"Normally a Bill is numbered by the order in which it is introduced. I asked the House for unanimous consent to number this Bill C-393 - because that is what the Bill has become known as across Canada," says Brown.
