Josh Morrison
second year, undecided
“I am not a huge fan of it. I think there are a lot of circumstances where judges need discretion to make a ruling based on the circumstances of the case, and not necessarily on a set minimum. I think that it takes a lot of the discretion that the judicial system does have, and gives it to the legislator. I think that is a bit of an issue.”
Rhea Wilson
osgoode student
“It’s a major setback for the state of justice of this country. I don’t think it will contribute to a decrease in crime. I believe that its take on the problem of drugs is rooted in complete ignorance to the facts around drug use in this country and their relation to criminality. I think it’s a travesty, and I really hope it will be challenged constitutionally.”
Sara Hanson
first year, law student
“[The Omnibus Crime Bill] will not be a deterrent to crime and will only result to further overcrowding of prisons, which is a big concern in Canada where we have overcrowding. Personally I do not agree with the bill. I think that it’s merely a Band-Aid solution and is not getting to the root of the issue, which often has to do with the larger systemic issues such as poverty in Canada.”
Eric Marques
osgoode student
“I think it’s a terrible bill, it’s bad for society, it’s expensive and it’s not sustainable. It’s going to reshape the way things work, it’s going to clog up the reports because everyone is going to want to go to court because you are facing a mandatory minimum. There’s no compromise offered anymore.”
Compiled by Alexander Granger and Mark Grant
