Is this close to the truth?

[stewey]

Firstly, let me say that I am not "throwing this in your face". I am just wondering how true a picture of England has this columnist painted. As he was,I was born in England and moved to Canada many years ago as a young boy, and I have never been back. If I returned for a visit would I be shocked at the changes? http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Core n_Michael/2008/07/05/6071306.php

[naomi24]

Hi Birdie, funny you should mention that. I have been asked several times to stand for election.

[Oneeyedvic]

Just to give the other side of the argument:

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/artic le/3280

If the use of knives as weapons is not rapidly escalating here, it sure appears that way. In the last two weeks, the following attacks took place in and around Toronto:

� a Brampton man was arrested and charged with attempted murder for stabbing his 11-year-old son,
� a 26-year-old student was stabbed in the stomach while waiting for a streetcar in a completely unprovoked attack,
� a 36-year-old man was stabbed in a Scarborough apartment,
� a 41-year-old man stabbed his wife, strangled his mother-in-law and set their apartment on fire before killing himself,
� three people were stabbed in what was described as a domestic incident in Scarborough.

Does this sound like a safe place?

[naomi24]

Three of the five you�ve quoted appear to be family related, and the fourth is debateable. Hardly a threat to society as a whole. It seems to me a totally different scenario to what we�re experiencing in this country.

[Oneeyedvic]

Ah, so long as it's family killing family that is acceptable.

A bit like a gang member killing a fellow gang member

As already shown in a previous post, Canada has a higher murder rate than that of the UK

[stewey]

As I stated previously, I am not a great fan of journalists; I have even less tolerance for statistics. However, the statistics that jake posted clearly indicate that there are MORE murders in Britain than in Canada. But I really don't want this thread to deteriorate into a "you're worse than we are" kind of discussion. It's obvious that violence is blossoming no matter where one lives.

[naomi24]

Vic, you're being ridiculous. No, family killing family is not acceptable, but the reasons for those murders no doubt carry a very different agenda to gangs of teenagers regularly carrying knives, and to children killing children. The murders in Canada are irrelevant to the problems this country is currently facing. The facts may be distasteful to you, but nevertheless, it's happening, something has to be done about it, and denial of the gravity of the situation does nothing address the issue.

[Oneeyedvic]

something has to be done about it, and denial of the gravity of the situation does nothing address the issue.

Agreed.

The trouble is, that any idea that is put forward with exception of 'lock em up' is treated with ridicule.