Poilievre tries to draw voter attention to violent crime as Trump concerns dominate [Video]

As the stock market swings wildly and a U.S.-induced trade war carries on, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is forging ahead with a campaign focused on the other issues he wants voters to think about on election day — and on Wednesday, it was a new tough-on-crime policy proposal.

Poilievre is pushing for a crime crackdown now because he says the last Liberal government let violent crime rates spike by pursuing a lighter touch for some offenders. Academics who study these issues say Poilievre is proposing American-style policies that are both cruel and ineffective.

Poilievre pitched what he’s calling a “three-strikes-and-you’re-out law,” which would stop criminals convicted of three “serious” offences from ever getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest, keeping more people behind bars for longer.

As part of this proposed policy, a Poilievre-led government would designate three-time serious, violent criminals as “dangerous offenders” under the law to make their …