Alberta government miffed at Wildrose ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ coupon

Here's proof that not all right-wingers are humourless stiffs.

I know the list of intentionally funny conservatives seems pretty short. There's P.J. O'Rourke and Dennis Miller, though over the years he's become not so much funny as bitterly cranky. And there's the late, great Christopher Hitchens, though he happily skewered idiots across the political spectrum.

But where are the Jon Stewarts and Stephen Colberts of the right?

Well, now you can add Alberta's Wildrose Alliance Party. Those cards in the official Opposition have outraged the governing Progressive Conservatives by distributing faux get-out-of-jail-free cards.

The coupon, which features photos of Premier Alison Redford and Justice Minister Jonathan Denis, entitles the holder to "Enjoy One Free Crime," The Canadian Press reports. "Vandalize! Shoplift! This one's on us!"

Coupon-holders are informed they're entitled to one free minor crime without prosecution and must present it upon arrest.

“It’s childish and I think that whoever did them needs to apologize,” Denis sniffed Thursday. “It’s a patent abuse of taxpayer dollars.”

Wildrose, which last year looked like it might end 40 years of Conservative rule in Alberta before stumbling at the finish line, has been capitalizing on the government's poor record on spending and problems with their health care system.

[ Related: Tories take majority in Alberta as 'bozo outbreaks' cost Wildrose ]

Wildrose justice critic Shayne Saskiw told CP the coupons were a humourous attempt to draw public attention to a new government policy aimed at diverting first-time petty-crime offenders such as vandals and shoplifters out of the court system to alternate forms of justice.

The Tory government sees it as a way of freeing up court resources to deal with serious offenders but Saskiw has labelled it "hug-a-thug." The policy minimizes the harm so-called petty crime inflicts on victims, he said, and sends a message to would-be crooks that there will be no consequences for them.

"There has to be deterrence and that means punishment,” said Saskiw told CP. “And with the justice minister sending the message that first- and second-time offenders get off scot-free, we don’t think that’s the right message to send.”

The policy change is among several measures introduced in last week's budget to cut costs in the justice system, including eliminating electronic monitoring for offenders under house arrest for low-risk crimes and ending a program that allowed some offenders to serve their jail terms on weekends, which necessitated extra guards.

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Denis demanded an apology for the coupons in the legislature Thursday, the Edmonton Sun said. He noted that while the Wildrose party is painting the Tories as soft on crime, Opposition leader Danielle Smith voted against tougher penalties for impaired drivers an supported a proposal to set up a red-light district in Edmonton.

It's not the first time Wildrose has tried humour to get under the long-reigning Conservatives' skin. Last fall, it issued a western-style wanted poster of Redford to highlight the premier's attendance in the legislature and at question period, the Edmonton Journal reported at the time.