PCs Call for Action on Violent Crime
Clock ticking on 100-day promise and Manitobans need a plan, not platitudes from NDP
WINNIPEG — A triple stabbing, a double shooting, and two weekend homicides in Winnipeg. A Brandon man attacked with hammer and left to die in a burning house fire. And a senior attacked with a machete while trying to remove unwanted guests from his home in rural Manitoba.
As legislators return to work next week, many are asking: how does the NDP plan to end violent crime and the cycle of catch-and-release on Manitoba streets?
“Keeping Manitobans safe from harm must be a top priority of this NDP government,” said Wayne Balcaen, Shadow Minister for Justice. “Three people were just seriously hurt in an unprovoked attack in the premier’s own riding. But his silence shows that he lacks the courage to respond to violent crime, even when it happens mere blocks away from the legislature. Manitobans deserve better.”
While in office, PCs took real steps to protect Manitobans, leading the charge across Canada to demand federal bail reform, and by implementing a $52-million Violent Crime Strategy to strengthen policing and public safety initiatives, as well as increasing funding for municipal police forces by $56 million.
The NDP largely voted against every single initiative. After spending most of their election campaign ignoring crime issues, they eventually made vague and unachievable promises to implement bail reform within 100 days, and to introduce so-called “unexplained wealth” legislation.
“The NDP’s promises are out of their depth and out of their jurisdiction,” said Balcaen, a former police chief for the Brandon Police Service. “Unexplained wealth orders already exist under Manitoba civil forfeiture laws, which give police the right tools to take money out of the hands of criminals and puts it right back into frontline resources.”
More than $8.4 million in property forfeiture funds have been distributed to support crime prevention programs across Manitoba, as well as supporting victims of crime, in recent years.
“We worry that the NDP is planning to do away with this program and absorb the money into general revenues. That would be, by definition, defunding the police,” Balcaen said. “We expect public safety to get more than a passing mention in next week’s throne speech because, like all Manitobans, PCs will be looking for more than empty platitudes and virtue signaling from this government. We’ll be looking for courage, political will, and, most importantly, action.”
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