EDITORIAL: Don’t victims have any Charter rights?

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It's becoming the new face of Canada.

What was once a joyful event in a previously safe neighbourhood is rocked by violence. Police descend to the scene, assault weapons at the ready.

Grave-faced politicians and senior police brass show up later to express their outrage and disgust. Then rinse and repeat. They forget about it until the next community is ripped apart by violence.

Politicians are quick to reassure us that this is not who we are. Except quite obviously it is. Perhaps locked away in the rarefied atmosphere of their ivory towers, they haven't noticed. But those people who use public transit every day or walk streets where vile, divisive demonstrations have taken over major cities with impunity, are completely unsurprised. When you cosset those who sow division, as our politicians have done, do not be surprised when brazen acts of violence become everyday events.

Our courts reward scofflaws with sentencing that takes into consideration the immigration status of those found guilty. Those who face deportation are awarded lesser sentences. That's not just two-tier sentencing. It's rewarding lawlessness.

Catch and release bail laws mean cops arrest a violent criminal one day and the courts release him the next. Judges often take into consideration the Charter rights of an accused person while overlooking the Charter rights of the majority of people in this country to live their lives without fear of violence on the streets.

Randall McKenzie, who last December was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 ambush-style murder of Ontario Provincial Police officer Greg Pierzchala, had previously been released on bail by a judge who took into consideration McKenzie's Indigenous status, despite his violent history.

Allegations in a $13 million cocaine smuggling case were recently dismissed because the judge considered a strip search by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) guards unnecessarily invasive. The court also found the accused's Charter rights were violated when he was compelled to answer questions and there was a delay in providing him with a lawyer.

If you reward bad behaviour, you encourage more of it.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's new justice reform legislation came into effect this week. It won't mean a thing if the courts continue to regard the rights of criminals as more important than the rights of communities to safety.

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