"Excessively punitive" on kids: UN targets federal justice reforms
October 09, 2012 - 2:07 PM
OTTAWA - A United Nations review of Canada's child-rights record says Ottawa is moving backwards with its changes to juvenile justice.
The UN committee on the rights of the child says the federal government's tough-on-crime omnibus bill that passed earlier this year is "excessively punitive" for youth.
The new law, Bill C-10, stiffens penalties for youth crime and makes it easier for courts to try violent offenders as adults.
The committee says C-10 needs to be brought in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards.
The committee also urged Ottawa to do something to fix the dramatic over-representation of aboriginal and black children in the justice system.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012