I must say I was pleasantly surprised today to read that Ontario is getting tougher on crime.

It's a nice change from the usual social-program-justice approach taken in Ontario. The new plan entails:

• $14 million to speed up, by a year, the hiring of 1,000 new police officers in Ontario. By the fall, Toronto is expected to have up to 151 new officers.


• $4.7 million for three dedicated major crimes courts for trials involving large, complex cases.


• $26.5 million for the guns and gangs task force. The funding will cover a new operations centre; 31 new Crown attorneys dedicated to prosecuting "gun-wielding criminals," with 10 working directly with Toronto police; 12 new victim services staff to support victims of gun crimes, and another 15 officers to expand the OPP's Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit.

Personally, I think that the growing problem of gun violence in Canada is a problem with the law, not the enforcement. This is a step in the right direction though. More resources, and more cops is a neccessary thing. Hiring more prosecutors will give each case a more in-depth look. Pleas are often made simply because a lawyer doesn't have the time to try the case, and having more prosecutors will relieve some of those pressures.

And then theres my favorite part, the typical pandering NDP MP trying to look like a hero:

New Democrat MPP Michael Prue questioned why McGuinty has still taken no action on the "root causes" of crime, such as lack of opportunity for young people growing up in public housing.

But you gotta love the NDP, they're just isn't a social program they wouldn't support, for any of us. They're almost like friendly communists.

The cartoon is true though. Canada did slide way down the list of ethical governments this year. Then again, the leader of our country doesn't even fly the Canadian flag on his steamship companies boats, so should we be surprised?