http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/wajsman050906.htm
Beryl Wajsman, Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal
"The proposal for mandatory minimum sentencing is unjustified in fact and in law. Almost all western jurisdictions have eliminated it. There is no proof that it has any deterrent effect. And the costs associated with its implementation would be better put into the hiring of more police officers who, as "visible" deterrents, have proven time and again to be the most effective resource in combating crime. This proposal, and its companion piece which would severely reduce the conditional sentencing powers of judges, are nothing more than politically motivated gestures that sound good to the ears of the lowest common denominators among Canadians."
