Conservatives call for Liberals to block 'candy sentences' for immigrants convicted of crimes

OTTAWA — Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner reiterated her call Tuesday for the Liberal government to amend the Criminal Code to put an end to “candy sentences” that she says allow immigrants who commit crimes to avoid deportation.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, the longtime Conservative MP argued that a slew of recent headlines detailing how non-Canadians charged with various crimes but received reduced sentences so as to avoid deportation proceedings was “insane and disgusting.”

“These types of rulings now happen so frequently that a judge in Montreal accused Montreal prosecutors of proposing candy sentences for criminals at risk of deportation, affirming that this is a common practice across the country,” she said.

“Practices that let certain people commit crimes with impunity are corrosive to a high-trust society. It makes Canada unsafe, leading to a society that is less trusting to everyone, including immigrants who have come to Canada and work hard and play by the rules.”

National Post has recently detailed many cases where a judge cited an accused’s immigration status as a mitigating factor when issuing a criminal sentence. In one case cited by Rempel Garner, a judge granted a Ghanaian man and loan shark who violently stole a woman’s phone a conditional discharge, citing his immigration status.

The Conservative MP once again called on the Liberals to amend the Criminal Code to prevent immigration status from being a consideration during sentencing for a crime. She also re-iterated her longstanding call for Immigration Minister Lena Diab and Justice Minister Sean Fraser to resign.

The Liberals tabled three bills last fall and winter that proposed a slew of Criminal Code changes to clamp down on bail releases and allow judges to issue harsher sentences for violent and sexual crimes, but did not explicitly target immigration cases.

During the press conference, Rempel Garner also reiterated her confidence in Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, saying she believes he can win a federal election against Prime Minister Mark Carney.

On Monday, a trio of different polls suggested Carney’s Liberals maintain a significant lead over the Conservatives, with the Grits holding a 14 to nearly 20 point lead over the Tories depending on the poll.

A Postmedia-Leger poll published Monday also showed that when respondents were asked who they trusted more between Carney and Poilievre when proposing the same policy, the Liberal leader always garnered significantly more trust.

National Post

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