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“Bill C-25 does not work and will not benefit Inuit, First Nations, Métis offenders, or their communities,” said Inuk Senator Charlie Watt. He made this statement Wednesday at the Legal and Constitutional A�airs Committee, and spoke of his intention to amend this bill that would remove a judge’s ability to give credit for time served in pre-trial custody. Aboriginal o�enders already serve longer sentences than others. Senator Watt’s amendment would keep Aboriginal O�enders under the current system, which provides judges with discretion to award credit for time served.

“Despite the rhetoric we are hearing from the federal government, our communities will not be any safer with the passage of this bill, in fact we’ve heard quite the opposite will happen,” said Senator Watt, Watt was referring to committee testimony from a series of witnesses that included the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies, as well as the O�ce of the Correctional Investigator.

“Despite the high numbers of First Nations, Inuit and Métis in the penitentiary system, the federal government has not consulted the Aboriginal community about this legislation, and I believe our Constitutional rights are being violated,” said Senator Watt. The Bill’s e�ect on Inuit, First Nation and Métis has not been carefully examined and mitigated by the Justice Minister prior to its introduction.

The incarceration rate for Aboriginal people is nine times higher than that of non-aboriginals, and they currently serve longer sentences than any other o�enders, a fact not lost on the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which has said it is the number one human rights issue facing Canada. Although access to rehabilitation programming is required by the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, Aboriginal o�enders receive very little access to these programs.  “When we have high calibre experts come before the committee and give testimony that says this bill targets Aboriginal people and does nothing to help the situation. Don’t ask me to close my eyes and vote for it. I’m here to represent my community,” said the Senator. He continued, “The amendment won’t better the circumstances for o�enders or correct issues surrounding the duration of time spent in pre-trail custody, but it does send the government a message that they better be prepared to do proper due diligence, consultation and study on this aspect of the justice system.”Only then can the Canadian government responsibly introduce legislation dealing with sentencing and rehabilitation for Aboriginal people.

SENATOR CHARLIE WATT STATEMENT:

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Child Restraints Save LivesSubmitted by the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute

Injuries that result from motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for children ages one to nine in Saskatchewan. Properly using child restraint systems (car seats) can greatly reduce these injuries and deaths.

When child restraints are used correctly, the child is protected because:

• A child restraint takes into consideration the developmental stage and size of the child; an adult seatbelt does not.The child is held in place and the car restraint causes the forces of the crash to be spread out over the strong parts of the child’s body.

• A properly used child restraint is one that is appropriate for the size and age of the child and one that is correctly installed in the vehicle.

• A properly used and correctly installed child restraint can reduce the chance of injury in a collision by 70 per cent and the chance of fatality by 90 per cent. Unfortunately, most child restraints are used incorrectly. There are people throughout Saskatchewan who have been trained to help parents and other caregivers learn how to correctly use child restraints.

If you travel with children, please make sure that you know what child restraint they need – rear facing, forward facing, booster or seat belt – depending on their age, height and weight. Help save a life and correctly use the proper child restraint.

To learn more about the correct use of child restraints, check out the

Saskatchewan Prevention Institute web site at:

www.preventioninstitute.sk.ca or call

Travis Holeha at 306-655-2513.

To �nd a trained child restraint technician in your area, check the SGI web site at: www.sgi.sk.ca and

click on the Online Services section.

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