Public safety made its way into the Ontario election campaign spotlight this week, with several of the province’s largest police unions taking the rare step of publicly endorsing PC Leader Doug Ford.
The endorsements came after the major party leaders repeatedly sparred over the issues of bail, the beleaguered court system and support for law enforcement during Monday night’s debate.
Ford accused his political rivals of supporting “catch-and -release” bail policies too lenient on repeat offenders, while the opposition leaders blamed him for allowing the province’s courts to fall into disarray.
“Look, we need to fix our court system. Right now it is so backlogged that dangerous people are falling through the cracks, and many others who deserve their day in court aren’t getting it,” NDP Leader Marit Stiles said.
Ontario’s courts have come under immense pressure in recent years, just as a surge in crimes like vehicle thefts, violent carjackings and home invasionshave thrust public safety to the fore …