Chuck Cadman

After his 16-year-old son was stabbed to death by a group of teenagers during a random attack, Chuck Cadman became a crusader for victim's rights and an advocate of tougher penalties for young criminals. A Canadian, Chuck Cadman became a Member of Parliament in 1997 and worked to change the criminal code. Through his efforts, he was able to replace the Young Offenders Act with the stricter Youth Criminal Justice act in 2003. That same year, he was diagnosed with melanoma. He died Saturday. He was 57.

Links:
CBC News
Associated Press
The London Free Press

Update: Great article on Chuck Cadman in MacCleans.

Excerpts from the above news stories:

From London Free Press
He had undergone rounds of treatment and as late as May thought he was beating it. But the once-stocky Cadman had lost more than a quarter of his body weight in the fight.

From Associated Press
Cadman was recognizable for his mane of long, silver hair, drawn back into a pony tail. He was once mistaken for a janitor in his own parliamentary office.

A technician by trade and a one-time rock guitarist, Cadman spent the last federal election day playing recorded music beside the grave of his son, Jesse.

From CBC News
A personal tragedy propelled Cadman into politics after years of working as an electronics technician for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

His 16-year-old son, Jesse, was stabbed to death on a Surrey street in a random attack by a group of teenagers in 1992.

Cadman and his wife, Dona, became activists calling for justice reform and victims' rights. They co-founded the group Crime, Responsibility and Youth (CRY) in 1993.

Cadman supported dealing with first-time, non-violent young offenders outside of the formal court system and counselled teenagers who were deemed likely to commit violent crimes.

But he also fought for a tougher Young Offenders' Act, demanding stronger penalties for teenagers who committed repeat or violent crimes.

After becoming frustrated with what he saw as a lack of action by Jean Chrétien's Liberal government, Cadman ran for office and became a Member of Parliament in 1997.

Much of Cadman's work in parliament centred on trying to change the laws for young offenders and he served as justice critic for the official opposition, among other contributions.

In 2003, his efforts were rewarded when the Young Offenders Act was replaced by the stricter Youth Criminal Justice Act.