It's not often that political party leaders will keep the
promises they have made to the public. However, in the case of
mandatory minimum sentences, Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberal
party seem to have kept their promise for reform.
Although some legal experts argue that the delivery of the
promise is long overdue, it's important remember that slow
progress is better than no progress.
It is indisputable that changes to the criminal justice system
and sentencing reforms are necessary. When the Conservatives were
in power, they imposed and increased mandatory minimum penalties
for dozens of criminal offences, thus taking away the discretionary
powers of Canadian judges and thereby contradicting section 718.1
of the Criminal Code (section 718.1 instructs the
court to take the degree of responsibility of the offender into
account when handing down a sentence).
