Provincial Liberals, reacting to public anger over the Earl Jones and Vincent Lacroix financial scandals, said Tuesday they'll pressure their federal counterparts to toughen sentences for white-collar criminals.

Cabinet ministers, speaking at a Liberal caucus meeting in St-Hyacinthe, said they're hearing the public's anger over financial scandals that have robbed Quebecers of their life savings and raised the issue of whether the justice system is tough enough on corporate fraud.

Premier Jean Charest said one possible deterrent might be to impose consecutive sentences that would mean more prison time for convicted fraudsters.

"It's a principle of common law that's very well known by the courts," the premier told reporters.

Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis said the time is right for a crackdown.

"The sanctions that a person faces if they're found guilty of these sorts of crimes must be severe," he said.

Sentencing

Canadian sentencing has come under scrutiny given that non-violent criminals, including fraudsters, are usually paroled after serving just one-sixth of their term.

Dupuis says the criminal code could be changed to label white-collar fraud as an act of "moral violence" towards victims. Such a move might keep convicts behind bars for longer periods.

Victims step up fight

The political reaction comes as children of Jones' clients announce they're creating a new national organization to advocate for Canadians swindled by white-collar criminals.

The group is being launched by children of the alleged victims of Jones, the Dorval financier who faces criminal charges after more than 100 clients lost up to $50 million.

Joey Davis, the son of one of the victims, says there is a void when it comes to helping the victims of financial fraudsters.

Davis says the coalition of victims will lobby governments for tougher penalties and push for a single stock-market regulator.

Resistance

The idea of a national securities regulator is popular with the federal government and many businesses but faces stiff resistance from some provincial politicians -- particularly in Quebec, whose politicians are sensitive to issues of federal control over the province.

Quebec Justice Minister Kathleen Weil does plan to take advantage of a federal-provincial justice ministers' meeting in October to push the sentencing issue.

Tax breaks for victims

Finance Minister Raymond Bachand said there will be no government compensation for the people who lost their savings, but there may be tax relief.

"These people might have paid taxes on revenue that didn't exist, so we'll sit down case by case and Revenue (Quebec) will set up a special team," said Bachand.