the mainstream law reform commission of canada clearly identified this state of affairs. after stating that criminal law had to safeguard basic values - such as liberty of the individual and peace rather than violence, and social or political order rather than chaos, the commission went on to say that in all capitalist countries, including canada, the protection of private property is the most important function of criminal law. indeed, the commission pointed out that theft - legally defined as the taking another person's property with the intention of permanently depriving the original owner thereof - is the paradigm of crime.
Canada