The federal government is trying to put more money into programs to help at-risk youth, following recent reports of Manitoba children and youth being charged with committing violent crimes, Justice Minister Vic Toews said Friday.
Toews, MP for Provencher, was responding to a number of violent incidents allegedly perpetrated by those as young as eight years old in Winnipeg's inner city over the past few weeks.
The incidents include the random beating death of Audrey Daphne Cooper, 34, near a Spence Street rooming house early Saturday morning. Four youths, aged 12 to 15, were charged with second-degree murder in connection with the attack.
Also on Saturday morning, a 12-year-old girl was stabbed in the back during an altercation with several other girls at a north-end party. The girl was rushed to hospital, where she was reported to be in stable condition. Winnipeg police continue to search for a suspect in connection with that incident.
Boy locked in burning shed
On Oct. 14, a group of children between the ages of eight and 11 locked Brian McKay, 14, into a north-end playground shed and set the wooden shed on fire. McKay, who survived the incident thanks to several rescuers, said he believed he was targeted because he has a pronounced limp from his spina bifida.
And last month, RCMP charged a 12-year-old boy on a central Manitoba reserve after he severely burned an 11-year-old girl in what was called a dangerous game involving insect repellent spray and fire.
Toews, who was in Winnipeg on Friday, said the Conservative government is working on investing more money in programs to keep at-risk youth out of the justice system.
"We cannot change youth simply by incarcerating youth. We need to have appropriate programming. But the two need to go hand in glove," Toews said.
"Youth need to understand … that when they commit violent acts against other people, that they are held accountable [and] responsible, and that that occurs in a timely fashion."
Wants to emphasize deterrence in act
Toews added that the Youth Criminal Justice Act still needs a section to emphasize deterrence.
"We have to examine the issue of deterrence and denunciations. The Supreme Court of Canada recently stated that those are not principles that are found in the Youth Criminal Justice Act," he said.
"You can't have a criminal statute without emphasizing deterrence and [denouncing] evil conduct."
Manitoba Conservative MLA and justice critic Kelvin Goertzen had called on Ottawa to change the act so that children under 12 years of age could be charged for committing criminal acts.
Related
Internal Links
Video
- Lyndsay Duncombe reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 2:53)
play: real »
play: real »
play: quicktime »
MORE MANITOBA HEADLINES »
- Curb youth violence with programs, deterrence: Toews
- Justice Minister Vic Toews said Friday the federal government is trying to put more money into programs to help at-risk youth, following recent reports of Manitoba children and youth being charged with committing violent crimes.
- Manitoba won't cut PST for now: Selinger
- The two per cent cut in Saskatchewan's provincial sales tax will not be followed by one in Manitoba — at least not for the time being, Finance Minister Greg Selinger said Friday.
- Lions deny Blue Bombers
- Dave Dickenson threw two touchdown passes to lead the B.C. Lions to a 26-16 win over Winnipeg Saturday, costing the Blue Bombers the chance to host an East division playoff game.
- Canada Post to review 800,000 rural mailboxes
- Canada Post will assess more than 800,000 rural mailboxes across the country to determine whether they meet new safety standards established by the Crown corporation.
- Manitoba labour productivity up 3%: report
- The productivity of Manitoba's workforce has grown by 2.9 per cent between 2004 and 2005, but it's still less productive than workers in other Western provinces, according to a study released Friday.
