MINISTER OF JUSTICE PROPOSES NEW STREET RACING OFFENCE

OTTAWA, June 15, 2006 – Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Vic Toews Q.C., today introduced a new Criminal Code offence that will help ensure safer streets for Canadians.

"Street racers threaten public safety and, in some cases, tragically take innocent lives. Street racing is not about kids having fun. It is a reckless and dangerous activity that has no place in Canadian communities,” said Minister Toews. “This legislation will help meet the commitment we made to Canadians to make streets safer and ensure effective and appropriate justice is administered to criminals."

The current Government proposal would create a separate Criminal Code offence of street racing, which would reference the offences of dangerous driving (no bodily harm or death), dangerous driving causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and criminal negligence causing death. This new offence would also include increased maximum punishments and escalating mandatory driving prohibitions for those convicted of street racing.

“There is no task more important to any government than the protection of its citizens,” said Minister Toews. “That is why the Government is sending a strong message that street racing on Canada 's roads and highways will not be tolerated and that offenders will be dealt with appropriately by the criminal justice system.”

The proposed punishments for the new street racing offence are as follows:

In addition, the Government proposal would include mandatory minimum driving prohibitions on a first, second and subsequent street racing conviction.

For a first street racing conviction, the mandatory driving prohibitions are:

For a second street racing conviction, the mandatory driving prohibitions are:

*The lifetime minimum driving prohibition would apply if an offender has two convictions where someone was injured or killed as a result of street racing, and at least one of these offences caused a death .

For subsequent street racing convictions, the mandatory driving prohibitions are:

 *The lifetime minimum driving prohibition would apply if an offender has three or more convictions where someone was injured or killed as a result of street racing, and at least one of these offences caused a death.

These periods of driving prohibition would be in addition to any period to which the offender is sentenced to imprisonment.

To learn more about the Government's efforts to tackle crime, visit www.tacklingcrime.gc.ca.

An online version of the legislation will be available at www.parl.gc.ca.

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Ref.:

Mark Quinlan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Media Relations
Department of Justice
(613) 957-4207