Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to make the point that, because of the limit being imposed on the debate on Bill C-10, a complex omnibus bill that is in effect nine bills in one, this is a dark day for democracy, for the Parliament of Canada. It's also a dark day for the Canadian Constitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as for the criminal justice system of Quebec and Canada.
Like my colleagues, I believe we were elected to represent our fellow citizens and to closely scrutinize this legislation, clause by clause, in order to improve it in the interests of the entire population, including victims. With a better bill, everyone stands to win.
The only connection Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, has with safety is its name. In fact, it's a short-sighted view of safety. We've heard from numerous expert witnesses that victims will not be winners in the end. There will be no winners. It will simply be a process aimed to mislead.
We have not only an obligation to make our best effort but also an obligation to produce results that will improve the quality of life of all our fellow citizens, for the benefit of victims and the entire population. We must work together and practise a different form of politics.
The system proposed under Bill C-10, which we cannot address clause by clause, will continue to be ineffectual and will cost the provinces and victims dearly.
We are not learning from our experience, in Quebec for example, with the Youth Criminal Justice Act. What we need is differential treatment based on prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration. This bill is more likely to have the opposite effect: it will create unsafe streets and communities, and everyone will be a loser in the end.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.