I know this means little for most of the boards membership but the conservatives new laws came into effect yesterday.

Quote::

Those convicted of using a gun while committing a violent crime such as attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping will be automatically sentenced to five years for a first offence and seven years for a second offence.

So no more, kill someone on the streets of Toronto and be out on parole in a year or 2. And it doesn't let criminals who commit crimes with guns to be let out of jail till they get convicted anymore ether.

At the same time his goverment has cut off the fees the liberals wanted to collect for registering firearms, transferring firearms, and renewing your firearms license, and stopped the UN gun marking scheme for 2 years. So they seem to have a good thing going I think as he is actually doing something to punish criminals and not law abiding gun owners.

As well this law changes the age of consent.

Quote::

The Tackling Violent Crime Act raises the legal age of sexual consent in Canada to 16 from 14, the first time it has been raised since 1892. But the law includes a "close-in-age exception," meaning 14- and 15-year-olds can have sex with someone who is less than five years older.

Dimitri

'Mitri wrote:

The Tackling Violent Crime Act raises the legal age of sexual consent in Canada to 16 from 14, the first time it has been raised since 1892. But the law includes a "close-in-age exception," meaning 14- and 15-year-olds can have sex with someone who is less than five years older.

This one scares me somewhat. If I read it correctly, then an 11 yr old is fair game for a 15 yr old.

If a 15 yr old boy had touched one of my daughters at 11yr old then HE would have become fair game for ME !!!

From what I read of the two quotes you have put in your post 'Mitri, I think that your Govt needs to get its act together. Only 5 yrs for Violent Crime using a Firearm This is not a deterent...its a joke mate, and it won't do law abiding firearms owners any favours by a long stretch of the imagination.

Cheers, Vince

Vince,

The old age of consent law still stands, youngest you can be is 14, this is ON TOP of that law that was written over 100 years ago as I understand it. So no, a 11 year old cannot legally date a 15 year old. Nor can a 14 year old date a 13 year old still.

By the way, I don't know how it is in Australia but in alot of places only sex and oral sex etc count as things that can be charged under age of consent laws, not here, even hugging is classed as a sexual act and you can get charged just like if you had sex with someone under age in Canada.

As for it being a "joke" well its better then what it used to be before this law, MANY gang members would commit shootings and be out of jail in 6 months on parole for "good behavior" and murderers were out in not all that much longer. Canada's long standing "its not the persons fault its societies fault so instead of more jail time and more cops on the street lets pay for more social programs" thinking has been digging a big hole, and this is one way to help fix that.

At this point this new law is a breath of fresh air compared to how things were going.

Dimitri

IMO there are two acceptable sentences for murder: #1 - (and preferably) DEATH and #2 - Life without any chance of parole.

Yah well the Socialist thinking in Canada got rid of the Death penalty a long time ago. It was one of the first things to go.

In the past, there were a number of things that got the death penalty, now even treason doesn't get you it.

Dimitri