Mr. Speaker, today the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics released the report, “Police Resources in Canada, 2010”. The study found that police officer strength was at its highest point since 1981, the steady increase of female officers continued and 2009 saw the largest annual increase in constant dollar expenditures on record.
Our Conservative government has always stood up for police officers and is giving them the tools they need. Take it from me, if we want to be truly tough on crime, we need more than police dollars. We need strong laws and strong voices, like our new member of Parliament, the member for Vaughan. We need strong laws, like the ones that the Liberal coalition has opposed and continues to stall, such as bills to eliminate pardons for dangerous offenders, repeal the faint hope clause and end house arrest for serious criminals.
The fact that only three of our crime bills have passed over the last year is a disservice to justice and to victims. When will the Liberal-led coalition support our efforts to get tough on crime and make our streets and communities safe?