Quebec Won't Pay Costs of Omnibus Crime Bill

Province's justice minister says "band-aid" solution will just end up with more young people in jail.

The Conservatives' Gazillion-Dollar Pot-Growers' Act has a new hurdle to clear, and its name is Quebec. The province's justice minister told a Parliamentary committee today that his province will refuse to pay for costs associated with the bill, namely as the price of processing and imprisoning an influx of convicts. Jean-Marc Fournier said the bill is just a "band-aid" solution to youth crime, and will likely lead to higher rates of youth recidivism in prisons because it doesn't tackle the root causes of crime (poverty, education, addiction, etc.). It's almost as if he's a justice minister who would consider evidence, studies, first-hand experience, and alternative solutions when coming up with policy! Silly Fournier. Meanwhile, federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson indicated that he won't bother with making any changes to the omnibus bill, and that Quebec's transfer payments ought to cover the cost of the omnibus bill's ramifications.