The past Conservative government imposed a mandatory fine surcharge upon each and every conviction. The problem is that it didn’t allow Judges to take into account an accused’s circumstances and means to pay. If you don’t pay the fine there is a provision for jail time to be imposed. There are some people who simply are too poor to pay the fine and as a result are more prone to being imprisoned as a result. Debtor’s prison, for not paying a government fee. It doesn’t seem right. It’s not right. The present government is going to change that.
Three years after Stephen Harper’s Conservative government created a mandatory ‘victim surcharge’ for convicted criminals, the Liberals introduced legislation to give judges the authority to exempt offenders
Source: Judges’ defiance of victim surcharge sparks debate on limits of judicial role – The Globe and Mail