OTTAWA – If you thought the federal Conservatives had completed their “tough-on-crime” agenda by now, think again.

Justice policy plays to the party’s base of supporters, is hard for the opposition to attack, and ultimately tugs on the heartstrings of all Canadians who want to see victims helped and crimes prevented or punished.

What can we expect as Parliament resumes?

A Victims Bill of Rights: The Harper government has vowed to make the justice system more sensitive to the needs of crime victims. This bill marks the culmination of those efforts.

Victims of Crime Ombudsman Sue O’Sullivan wants a bill that gives victims the right to review a decision not to prosecute; the right to a recent photo of an offender at the time of his or her release; and the right for victims to have a say in plea-bargain agreements.

Critics are concerned about court costs and jurisdictional issues. University of Ottawa law Prof. Carissima Mathen says victims have “legitimate expectations” to be informed, but the justice system is supposed to be “impartial” and “giving them more influence in criminal trials” is “not the way to go.”

Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act: First announced in August, the bill will include mandatory minimum and maximum sentences and those convicted on multiple counts will be required to serve their sentences consecutively.

This bill seeks to combat sex tourism by requiring convicted sex offenders to inform authorities of international travel. It will also create a national, publicly accessible, online database of high-risk child sex offenders, to replace a patchwork of existing databases.

Critics have raised concerns about mandatory minimums, saying they take discretion away from judges and contribute to prison overcrowding. Some say the database could lead to vigilantism: ordinary citizens taking the law into their own hands to punish perpetrators.

Cyberbullying and lawful access: The suicide of cyberbullied Dartmouth teenager Rehtaeh Parsons hit close to home for Nova Scotia-based Justice Minister Peter MacKay, who has promised to introduce “holistic” legislation to combat the problem this fall.

Details have not been released but a July report called for a new Criminal Code offence that would make it illegal to knowingly distribute intimate photos of a person without consent.

It recommends other Criminal Code offences be modernized to include language that takes into account the Internet and mobile phone age.

Police also want the power to compel Internet service providers to preserve information such as emails and text messages while law enforcement obtains a warrant.

Vehicular manslaughter: MacKay said he wants to change the Criminal Code offence for impaired driving causing death to “vehicular manslaughter” to better reflect society’s “abhorrence” of impaired driving. The changes would also include provisions to address drug impairment.

What’s likely to make a comeback?

The Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act and Tackling Contraband Tobacco Act died on the order paper when Parliament prorogued. Both remain government priorities and are likely to be reintroduced where they left off.

The former seeks to keep certain mentally ill killers off the streets for longer by creating a “high risk” designation that would bar them from obtaining a discharge and limit their ability to leave hospital if they’ve been institutionalized. Critics call it a knee-jerk reaction to sensational cases, such as that of Greyhound bus beheader Vince Li, who was mentally ill.