I Wonder If It Had Been THEIR Kid...

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/790570--ottawa-to-toughen-pardon-rules-for-sex-offenders?bn=1

Oh goody. They're going to "toughen" the rules for pardons. How does this help the boys that he abused? This man was pardoned after only 10 years. The pardon means his conviction no longer shows up in a CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre). This means he no longer has to register as a sex offender. No one knows where he is, or what he's doing. Technically, he's still not allowed to be around children or other vulnerable people, but that will only show up in a more detailed background check. If it's an organization that's lax about their security, he could easily slip by.

Sheldon Kennedy, a former NHLer and one of James' victims, says that the publicity about the pardon could actually be a good thing, in that it's bringing to light problems in the system. Still, this has to be incredibly painful for him, and for the other victims. It takes a very brave person to come forward about abuse, and I imagine it was even more difficult for NHL players, who are supposed to be so macho, to admit that this happened. It's bad enough that James was only sentenced to 3.5 years (meaning he probably served less than 2) but then to have him pardoned, as if what he did wasn't that big of a deal. Personally, I think pardons should only be granted in extreme circumstances anyway. If you are convicted of a crime, why should it be erased from your record? What about consequences for your actions?

I am really unimpressed with the Conservative response to this. I heard on the radio this morning that PM Harper is "angry" about this. Is he angry that James was pardoned, or angry that this is going to be a blight on his party's record? I'm not sure what to think. I know Harper has kids, so maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt (how could any parent NOT be outraged by this?) but I just don't trust them. This happened on THEIR watch. There had better be some BIG changes after this debacle.