Stephen Harper: Misleading or Delusional About Crime?

As it is well documented that governments can try to induce fear into the population in order to implement otherwise unpopular measures. Harper's big focus on crime seems to be one of these pushes, or else he is just out of touch with the facts. In either case, we should be weary of what measures he may try to bring forward under the guise of "protection."

This from The April 4 edition of the Globe and Mail:

Harper wrong on crime
BRUCE KETCHUM -
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
White Rock, B.C. -- Re Harper Outlines Crime-Fighting
Efforts As Parliament Looms (on-line edition -- April 3): According to the full
text of Stephen Harper's speech to the Canadian Professional Police Association
(available on the Prime Minister's website), he said that our way of life is
"threatened by rising levels of crime." Statistics Canada, in its latest crime
statistics report, released last July, states that "the crime rate has generally
been falling since 1991" and that the 2004 rate was 12 per cent lower than a
decade ago.
Mr. Harper goes on to say that "the homicide rate is on the rise
as well." What he should have said is that, again quoting the same Statscan
report, "Canada's homicide rate rose 12 per cent in 2004 after hitting a 36-year
low the year before" (my italics).
In discussing crime in cities, the Prime
Minister clearly wants to leave the impression that it is on the rise,
"especially in the city of Toronto" as witnessed by "growing media reports."
Instead of relying on tabloid journalism as the basis for federal government
decision-making, Mr. Harper should refer to his own statistical agency, which
reports for 2004 "large decreases in reported crime in the census metropolitan
areas (CMAs) of Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and St. Catharines-Niagara."
It is
apparent that Mr. Harper's propensity for hyperbole was not entirely left behind
when he assumed the role of Prime Minister.
We expect better.