Former PM Stephen Harper’s tough-on-crime agenda dealt another blow by court
VANCOUVER — The former Conservative government’s tough-on-crime agenda has suffered another blow as British Columbia’s highest court strikes down two more mandatory-minimum sentencing laws, ruling them unconstitutional.
On Monday, the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned compulsory two-year minimum sentences for drug trafficking convictions that involve someone under the age of 18 or that occur in a public place frequented by youth.
A unanimous decision from the three-person panel says a minimum sentence of two years in such instances may be at times “grossly disproportionate” to the crime committed, and therefore amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
This week’s ruling is the latest in several cases where courts have overturned mandatory-minimum sentences that are the legacy of the former Conservative government.