Alberta urges Ottawa to tackle rural crime to ease western alienation

Alberta's justice minister will be pushing the federal government to address rural crime at a meeting with his counterparts in Victoria on Wednesday.

Doug Schweitzer says his ministry lobbied to get the issue onto the agenda with backing from Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

In December, Schweitzer sent a letter to Ottawa calling for tougher penalties for perpetrators convicted of committing crimes in rural areas.

Schweitzer said rural Canadians are more isolated, and therefore more vulnerable to crime anda feeling of being unprotected by governments contributes to western alienation.

"It compounds the frustration levels and it's legitimate. Many of these communities just feel as though they've been left behind," Schweitzer said.

"One of the messages that I sent when I met with Minister Lametti and Minister (Bill) Blair in Ottawa in December was that if you want to help tackle western alienation, help make sure people feel safe. Help make sure that people feel as though the justice system is working for them and that we can address rural crime."

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The UCP government has introduced sweeping measures to tackle rural crime after listening to the fears and frustrations of Albertans last autumn at more than 20 town halls across the province.

Alberta is hiring hundreds of RCMP officers, expanding the drug court treatment program and funding thousands of additional treatment beds. It has amended legislation preventing offenders from suing landowners and granted additional authority to sheriffs and fish and wildlife officers.

Call to fill judicial vacancies

In his letter, Schweitzer calls on Lametti to fill vacancies in the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta and the Alberta Court of Appeal and appoint additional justices to serve smaller judicial districts. He asks Lametti to invest in the drug treatment court program to help tackle the growing challenge of opioid addiction.

Schweitzer also advocates for changes to the review process that reduces restrictions for killers found not criminally responsible.

Saskatchewan supports Alberta, Christine Tell, the province's minister of corrections and policing, said in a statement to CBC News.

"We support Alberta's efforts in raising this issue with our federal and provincial partners, and on discussions around how we can improve the safety of rural communities," Tell said. "We look forward to learning what additional measures are being taken across Canada to address the issue of rural crime."

Tell said Saskatchewan also recognizes the impact that illegal drugs and weapons have in communities across Saskatchewan, both urban and rural. "Criminal organizations engaged in these illegal activities are the primary causes of crime, and we look forward to discussions around federal support on combating these issues."

Rachel Rappaport, press secretary for the federal justice minister, said Lametti has emphasized his desire to work together to ensure the criminal justice system meets the needs of Albertans and Canadians.

Lametti is committed to providing additional resources to hire new judges, Rappaport said in an emailed statement.

On the matter of NCR, Rappaport said the Supreme Court has been clear that a person found not criminally responsible can only be detained if they pose a significant threat to public safety