On Thursday, the Harper Government highlighted important legislation that comes into force on December 2^nd, which will help make our streets and communities safer.

Stephen Harper’s Conservative Government received a strong mandate to get tough on crime for the safety of Canadians and their families.

For over 40 years, Canada’s criminal justice system was pulled in the wrong direction, focusing more on the rights of criminals than victims.

Our Government took action to right this wrong – and we’ve delivered.

Through Thursday’s announcement, our Government was pleased to report that legislation to end sentence discounts for multiple murders and legislation to end the faint hope clause will come into force on December 2^nd, 2011.

Through these new laws, offenders will need to serve a significantly longer overall period in custody before being eligible for parole.  In addition, those convicted of first-degree murder will not be eligible for parole until they serve the full 25 years of their sentence.

Our Conservative Government is standing up for victims of crime and their families by making sure criminals receive sentences that reflect the severity of their crimes.  We will continue our efforts to pass important legislation to toughen our laws, and help make our streets and communities safer.