Justice Minister Meeting with Federal Counterparts

Justice Minister Murray Scott will be in Ottawa on Monday, May 1, to lobby for federal support to address public safety issues in Nova Scotia. Mr. Scott will meet with federal Justice Minister Vic Toews and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

"I've been encouraged by what we have been hearing from Ottawa and the federal focus on addressing crime," said Mr. Scott. "For some time Nova Scotia has been leading the call for tougher laws to deal with out-of-control youth and I am anxious to discuss other issues that are important to Nova Scotians."

Nova Scotia has been calling on the federal government to make changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act to give the court more leeway to keep some youth in custody when they are a danger to themselves or others.

"Behaviour that endangers the life of someone else or the young person themselves should be enough to allow a judge to consider incarceration, as opposed to the current narrow definition of "violence" under the act," said Mr. Scott. "We also want a judge to have to ability to incarcerate a youth who commits a serious offence while on bail."

Mr. Scott is also seeking more details on the federal government's plans to put more money into RCMP and municipal policing.

"Last year we announced more than $6 million for policing in our province and additional support from the federal government would help ensure we have the law enforcement resources we need to address crime in our province," said Mr. Scott.

Other issues on the agenda include increased federal funding to support provincial investments in legal aid and the use of conditional sentencing.

"Nova Scotians need to feel safe in their homes and communities," said Mr. Scott. "Ensuring federal support is key to the success of provincial government and community efforts."