Unfortunately for the boy wonder, his first public safety announcement on Monday (350 "crime fighters"? -- good god is it "axis of evil" next?) was panned all the way from braniac criminologists to his usual cheerleader Tom Blowback.
We are especially fond of Dan Lett's phrase "the plural of annecdote is not data" referring to sensational headlines as proof Winnipeg has an especially serious crime problem.
We especially love Huey's crime ad, featuring the Sweater-Clad Crime Fighter throwing down editions of Winnipeg dailies with their screaming headlines. It could only be improved if our besweatered Superhero ended the scene in his bitchiest voice "This crime has got to stop. And I mean it".
His prescriptions are truly laughable. They amount to looking at the NDP's tough-on-crime proposals and just doubling them. "I see your cops and raise you 100" or whatever. "I see your crowns and we'll add even more."
Nothing on what to do about kids. Nothing on needing the criminal code to be changed, unlike Stephen Harper's line.
On Wednesday Hugh, a trained lawyer along with Kelvin Goertzen, another trained lawyer, called for requiring Crown prosecutors to pursue the maximum sentences (and we thought the prosecutions branch was supposed to be independent of the Justice Minister and cabinet) and, further, directing them to make sure there are "No conditional sentences for sexual offences involving minors".
Uh, we're pretty sure the Criminal Code says that people convicted of any sexual offence aren't eligible for conditional sentences. Chomiak (another trained lawyer) should likely have jumped on that. Ah, well.
Our favourite though was today's announcement of (ta-dah) a new jail! (Or new gaol, if you want to tart it up a bit more.)
Wow. That's going to wow 'em in the Winnipeg suburbs. More jails, now we can feel good about living in McFadyen's Manitoba.
It juxtaposed pretty well with Gary Doer promising lots more new wind farms.
Hmm. More jails or more wind farms? Can't decide which we like better.
* Crime and Punishment
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Did anyone notice Huey throwing out an afterthought news release on more child care spaces, which essentially said "yeah, like, what the NDP is doing -- whatever, we're like so that"?
If Hugh cares so much about child care spaces and staffing, why doesn't he call on special friend, Steve Harper, to restore the child care agreement that Harper cancelled?
Talk about leading with your chin.
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"No one told me to dress up ..."
Good god. Christine McGhee is not just the bizarre flake who was running for the Liberals in Kirkfield Park, then bolted to try for the Tory nomination unsuccessfully. She also then successfully got the Tory nod in St. James. (Whew ... you need a program just to figure this one out.) But now she has been a prop (yikes! did we say that) all week at McGriddle's crime announcements.Unfortunately on Wednesday, as you can see above, she had some unfortunate footwear mishap. You can click here to see the fulsome picture.
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Mucho thanks to eagle-eyed readers for tips and suggestions.