In the case of the 2,700 persons who die on Canada's roads every year, we're not talking about people who have been convicted or incarcerated. This is another type of driver. Our work is to find deterrents. The most important thing is that Canadians believe, when they take to the road, that the possibility that they will be stopped is entirely real. You must rely on that belief. Unfortunately, sentences of 25 years or life do not have that deterrent effect. The experiment was conducted in Massachusetts, and it was very well documented. The important thing is that the risk of being stopped, either by detectors or roadblocks, is utterly real for people. That's what works. Harsher punishment is reassuring, but it isn't effective.
On February 7th, 2008. See this statement in context.