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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 16, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS A DIVISION OF Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Is Dion soft on crime? Ontarians, specifically those in the Greater Toronto Area, are getting their first up-close look at Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion in action this week as the Grits' boss tours the area in what could be an election practice run. Dion, who will spend the next few days in the area -- including a stop at Milton's Country Heritage Park today -- has targeted the area, identified as a prime population growth spot in this week's census, primarily because of its richness in votes. By most accounts Dion is a "nice guy" who, perhaps while lacking the bravado of predecessors Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien, faces a tougher job than those two of selling himself to Ontario voters as a potential prime minister simply because of his lower profile. One charge Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have levelled at Dion and the Liberals is that they are "soft on crime" and, judging by Dion's opening day on the Ontario tour, one would be hard-pressed to disagree. Dion said Wednesday that he would support Harper's efforts to make it harder for people arrested on gun crimes to get bail. In effect, he would support the Conservatives' measure that would require accused gun offenders to justify why they should be released on bail -- the so-called "reverse-onus" provision. However, Dion drew the line on backing the Tories' plan for tougher and longer sentences for some crimes. "It will not be effective," said Dion. "(We) will have a higher incarceration rate but not a lower crime rate." While it's true the incarceration rates would likely climb, we have a hard time seeing the negatives of keeping criminals -- particularly those using guns -- in prison longer. Certainly Dion's promises of more police and RCMP officers and a crackdown on identity and Internet crime are welcome, but people who choose to use guns in committing crimes should pay a higher price than what is currently being handed out. Perhaps, however, Dion has a better idea. If so, we'd love to hear it. Maybe new Grit and Halton MP Garth Turner can help his boss come up with a solution. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Re: International Women's Day section, Oakville Beaver, March 14. How pleasant a surprise it was to read the "Historical Look at International Women's Day," in the section dedicated to the occasion in the March 14 edition of The Oakville Beaver, notably the positive references made to the socialist roots of the women's liberation movement. Typically any reference to socialism (if ever one is made), in this predominantly affluent, hyper-imperialist community, is from a negative perspective. What a shocking dichotomy, however, that in the same Women's Day section was an advertisement Halton Pro-Life should become Pro-Quality Life submitted by Pro-Life Halton, with the headline, Abortion Hurts Women. Pro-Life Halton does have a right to freedom of speech, yet its incomplete `references' to several medical publications and organizations, which supposedly claimed that abortion causes a myriad of `health risks', fails to provide any dates or page numbers for a direct, complete reference in order to ascertain their claims. Pro-Life Halton also fails to acknowledge the serious health risks associated with pregnancies in a woman with a sexually transmitted disease or other health condition, being in labour, giving birth, post-partum depression, the vicious cycle of poverty and abuse which develops for most unwanted children, nor are pregnancies which result from rape or incest, teen pregnancies, or the barbaric `wire hanger' days ever mentioned, when women did not have legal rights to safe, clinical abortions. Instead of focusing on `life before birth,' why don't these organizations prioritize life after birth, particularly the quality of life. ProQuality Life could focus on eliminating poverty, abuse, lack of affordable post-secondary education, creating a healthier, safer environment, plus providing assistance to our most vulnerable citizens; no, not the 'unborn'; people who have already been born: victims of abuse, those who exist in poverty, disabled individuals, impoverished immigrants and senior citizens. Despite its claim to offer "compassionate help to healing and recovery," the ad does suggest that women should be stricken with guilt and shame for utilizing the reproductive rights they have legal access to. This ad has appeared in The Oakville Beaver on numerous other occasions, but for it to be included in the International Women's Day section is an abominable travesty. It is an outrage to have the credibility and integrity of the rights women have fought for assiduously for more than a century to be Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com See Safe page 7 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.