For years, the Christian Heritage Party has promoted restorative justice. If you had the pleasure of hearing one of our candidates respond to questions about justice on the campaign trail, you will have heard them talk about our two pillars of justice: public safety and restitution for victims of property crimes.

According to Canada’s Auditor General, in a report issued in 2014, overcrowding in Canada’s prisons forces many inmates to “double-bunk” in shared cells, sometimes a cell as small as five square meters. Five square meters is the size of a good-sized master bedroom.

For those of us who are unfamiliar with the term “double bunking,” according to this Union of Canadian Correctional Officers report, “double bunking” is housing two offenders in cells originally intended for one person. One person in a room the size of a master bedroom, serving their jail sentence, is reasonable. While we aren’t advocating that inmates should stay at a luxury suite at the Ritz Hotel, two people kept in such a confined area is a recipe for disaster.

With this in mind, the time has come for an alternative look at justice based on the model adopted by CHP Canada many years ago. One of our two pillars of justice can be used to modify our present system without endangering the public - and public safety is paramount!

Property crimes—theft, vandalism, fraud, etc.—should be repaid in full by the perpetrator so that the victims are “made whole” to the largest extent possible.

Should our new government decide to borrow this platform item from the CHP, we won’t object. The bottom line of public safety must be assured, but we must also ensure the safety of our prison correctional officers, who work in these overcrowded prisons, and also those convicted and incarcerated in our prison system. We mustn’t set them up to fail!

A landmark case thirty years ago changed the way justice is often carried out. You can read about this landmark case here.

For those close to Kitchener, Ontario, you have the unique opportunity of seeing a film on what has been dubbed “The Elmira Case,” observing a panel discussion, talking with Russ Kelly, one of the young men charged in “The Elmira Case” and talking with Mark Yantzi the probation officer who changed the way we look at property crimes.

What better way to deal with prison overcrowding than divert those who are not a threat to the public to a restorative justice program.

In this past election, we heard people who would “like to” support CHP Canada say that they needed to vote “strategically.” We call on all of our members and supporters to take full advantage of the next four years to educate Canadians about the policies of the Christian Heritage Party. Real strategic voting is voting for the political party that has the best policies for Canada, not the parties that might win even though offering inferior policies.

It’s not enough to be convinced that we have the best policies; it’s equally important to disburse that seed so it can grow into a great harvest. One seed, as we know, is just one seed until it’s planted; then it’s thousands of seeds.

If you would like to know more about Restorative Justice, the DVD “The Elmira Case” will be available in the near future. You can check with Community Justice Initiatives to get more information on the availability of the DVD.

Restorative Justice is just one of the many superior policies that CHP Canada offers to Canadians. If you’re a member of CHP Canada, ensure that you are learning our policies so you can present them to your family, friends and neighbours.

If you’re not a member of CHP Canada, today is the day to invest yourself in restoring Canada to the heritage that generated all the great freedoms and equalities that we have enjoyed in the past—and are now endangered as a result of false “strategic voting.” Join today!

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