The Canadian government is stubbornly pursuing its crime omnibus legislation (Bill C-10), which critics such as the Canadian Bar Association call "self-defeating and counterproductive" and which they believe will sideline public safety, rehabilitation, and reintegration at the expense of vengeance. This crime legislation, which even conservative estimates predict will cost Canadian taxpayers an additional $2.7 billion over five years, flies in the face of crime rates in Canada which have now fallen to 1973 levels - and continue to decrease. Moreover in the United States, lawmakers and politicians in states who have tried such approaches are now adamant that the measures proposed in Bill C-10 are completely counterproductive.

Faced with this folly, Quebec's justice minister, Jean-Marc Fournier has said that Quebec will refuse to absorb the added costs associated with Bill C-10, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has said that his province is unwilling to pick up the tab for the costs for the legislation. This is an ideal opportunity for the Nova Scotia government to join with the provinces of Ontario and Quebec and tell Ottawa that Nova Scotians will not pay for this foolish, costly, and counterproductive legislation. Where the federal government has abandoned reason, provincial governments are stepping up to the plate on behalf of their citizens. We call on the Nova Scotia government to join the chorus repudiating this wrong-headed approach.