The Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan will table new legislation today that he says will level the playing field between criminals and the government.  The legislation proposes an increase in the discretion of the minister of Public safety when prisoners who have been convicted of a crime and are serving jail time within Canada or abroad ask to be transfered, either back to Canada to serve the remainder of their time or move within Canada.

According to Van Loan, even though he already has the authority to deny any request for transfer,  he says a recent court ruling has had the last word upon what he considers his purview, so the new legislation would "correct that" and allow him to make decisions without court intervention.

This is part of a broader 'get tough on crime' agenda by the Conservative minority government which is currently debating several criminal bills in Parliament.

Take a look at a clip of some questions to the Minister: