Liberal MP Ivan Baker says in post that he is the better political crime fighter.
An online screaming match is taking place between two of our elected leaders as to who’s best at fighting crime.
Liberal MP Yvan Baker, who represents Etobicoke Centre, is blasting Kinga Surma, the Conservative MPP for Etobicoke Centre, for allegedly providing misinformation about his crime-fighting skills.
“MPP Kinga Surma is misleading you about my work to fight crime and is trying to deflect and evade responsibility for the provincial government inaction,” Baker wrote on social media in an October 10 post.
Baker said Surma has been sending emails and posting social posts that ‘completely misinform the public’ about his record on fighting crime to score political points.
Conservative MPP Kinga Surma says she is better at fighting crime in her riding.
“I don’t normally respond to partisan or political attacks, but this level of misinformation and defamation from an elected official in Etobicoke Centre is unprecedented and cannot go unchallenged,” he told readers.
He accused Surma of asking thousands of residents to contact his office about the crime issue.
“She has never spoken with me or written to me about crime or public safety. Not once,” he warned. “If her concerns were sincere, then surely, she would have contacted me to discuss this before asking thousands of people to do so.”
Baker said fighting crime has been one of the top priorities in his riding.
“I have been working with federal, provincial and municipal government leaders to do just that,” he said. “At the federal level I have been pushing for longer sentences, stricter bail laws, and additional funding for police.”
Which political leader is better fighting crime. It is Baker vs. Surma. You be the judge.
He said he has even spoken to Surma’s boss, Premier Doug Ford, about curbing crime.
“You didn’t elect me to be a populist, you elected me to solve problems and that is what I will continue to do,” Baker said in a Facebook post.
He said Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to toughen federal laws but they need provincial action as well.
“This is because the federal government has responsibility for the Criminal Code and bail laws,” Baker said. “The province has jurisdiction over the justice system (e.g. courts, judges, prosecutors, jails, etc.). “
The majority of criminal cases in Ontario are dropped due in large measure to a shortage of resources in the justice system, he said.
Many charged with crimes have also been released on bail due to lack of space in Ontario jails.
Surma, who is the Ontario Infrastructure Minister, has not responded to Baker’s post.