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Province makes it easier to fight organized crime

By: Larry Kusch

Posted: 04/21/2010 2:31 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

The province has introduced legislation that it says will make tackling organized crime more effective and efficient.

Proposed amendments to the Manitoba Evidence Act would create a process to list "key criminal organizations" on a schedule, eliminating the need to repeatedly prove that they are criminal organizations in any proceeding under provincial law.

"We face the problem of having to essentially prove rocks are hard and water is wet over and over again," said Attorney General Andrew Swan.

"These proposed changes would establish a single, fair and independent process to determine conclusively whether a group is in fact a criminal organization."

Once a group is added to the list, there would no longer be a need to repeatedly prove it is a criminal organization, Swan said.

The new measure could be used in any proceeding under provincial law and would enhance Manitoba’s civil law measures dealing with organized crime, such as to support applications to shut down prostitution and drug houses and to seize property that is acquired through the proceeds of crime, he said.

The new law would not apply to Criminal Code or drug prosecutions, as only the federal government can pass criminal laws and criminal evidentiary rules. Manitoba has asked Ottawa to pass this type of law for use in criminal cases.

Swan said the proposed legislation would be a first in Canada.

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