Canada seeks better crime victims' rights

OTTAWA, June 17 (UPI) -- Canada's Conservative government is proposing expanding the rights of crime victims and refocusing on the protection of society, a government minister said.

At an Ottawa news conference, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said amendments being introduced to Parliament were "fundamental" in reversing some current trends, Sun Media reported.

"What we are therefore proposing is a rebalancing of the current system, to ensure that the rights and needs of victims are given greater weight in corrections and conditional release decisions," he said.

Among the proposed changes would be crime victims would be allowed to participate in parole board hearings and the gravity of the crime would become a factor in parole considerations. The amendments would also make information about prisoner progress and planned release dates available to victims and simplify the process of victims receiving court-ordered restitution, the report said.

On the enforcement side, police would no longer require a warrant to arrest an offender breaching parole conditions, and tougher disciplinary measures would be permitted for bad-behavior inmates, Van Loan said.

There was no indication when the package would come up for parliamentary debate.