Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to support the motion introduced by the hon. member for Surrey North.
Like all Canadians, I am proud to live in the safest country in the world. I am also proud to be part of a government that has done so much to ensure that Canada remains the safest country in the world. It is a country where we can walk down the streets in our communities without fear, a country where parents can feel comfortable sending their kids off to school in the knowledge that they will make it back home safe, a country whose public parks and playgrounds echo with the sounds of joy and laughter from children and families enjoying time together worry free.
We know that all members in this House think these are important features for our country to have. They are at the heart of our freedom, of what defines Canada and makes us the envy of the rest of the world.
We also know that to ensure this freedom, we must remain ever vigilant. As soon as we take our freedom for granted, it becomes jeopardized. That is why public safety is, and will always be, this government's top priority. The public expects nothing less of us.
And therein lies the importance of this motion. It is all a question of vigilance. We should be constantly seeking ways to enhance public safety and protect the rights of all citizens—the accused, the convicted, the victims and, of course, the public.
Our justice system must ensure this protection and it must be seen to be doing so. Citizens must be confident that our justice system is able to keep them and their families safe and that it is fair and properly balanced.
All of the members know that the public's confidence has been shaken by recent events. The public is questioning the system's fairness and balance.
The pardon granted to Graham James, a convicted sex offender, prompted many legitimate questions from Canadians across the country. The responses that they received did nothing to appease them. Quite the opposite.
We are all aware of the value of pardons. We live in a civilized country and, as citizens of this country, we believe in giving someone a second chance.
I am sure we all agree that someone who commits a serious crime, recognizes that what he did was wrong, pays his debt to society, is sorry for what he did and proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that he will never commit such a crime again deserves a second chance.
These are the criteria the current system is based on. But people are still wondering today whether they are enough.
That is the very legitimate and very important question raised by the motion moved by the hon. member for Surrey North: can we do more to ensure that the National Parole Board considers public safety in its decisions?
Today, someone found guilty of a summary conviction offence can apply for a pardon after serving only three years of his sentence. The pardon is granted if the person has not been convicted of another offence during that time. This is the only factor taken into consideration. The National Parole Board has no discretionary authority.
Someone who is convicted of a crime, regardless of the seriousness of that crime, can apply for a pardon after a five-year waiting period. Once again, the National Parole Board has very limited discretionary authority. If the person is not convicted of another offence during the five-year waiting period and is of “good conduct”, as stated in the Criminal Records Act, he is considered to be rehabilitated.
The pardon granted to Mr. James has raised some very reasonable questions among Canadians. Is the legislation too lenient? The people in my riding of Saint Boniface are definitely asking that question. Is it appropriate to grant pardons almost automatically in all cases? When it comes to the National Parole Board's decision-making powers, do we have the assurance that it is putting the safety of the public first when making its decisions? Is anyone taking into account the repercussions of the crimes on the victims? That is very important to our government.
Should a person with a lengthy criminal record for serious offences have the same right to a pardon as someone convicted only one time for smashing a car window and stealing an iPod?
For the public, for our government, and I am sure for all the members of this House, the answer to that question is very clear. That is why the hon. Minister of Public Safety has introduced a bill to amend the Criminal Records Act.
The first amendment involves changing the name of the process. “Criminal record suspension” is a much more accurate and appropriate term. It sends a clear message to offenders, and especially to victims, that the offences committed and the harm they caused are not being forgotten.
Another change is that the waiting period before an offender can apply for a record suspension would be extended to five years for summary conviction offences and 10 years for indictable offences. This change would allow offenders to truly prove to us that they deserve a second chance and would provide us with the assurance that our justice system takes the seriousness of the offence into account.
These changes will give the National Parole Board more investigative powers, which will allow the board to make truly informed decisions, specifically when it has to rule on cases of serious offences. With regard to the most serious offences, crimes that society as a whole finds absolutely heinous, in other words, sexual offences against our children, the changes propose extending the waiting period and even eliminating the right to a record suspension.
I have to say with regard to that modification that I spent four and a half years investigating child abuse, including sexual abuse against children, and it is high time Parliament considered this kind of a modification because those children suffer for a lifetime. What is forgotten is the suffering of the parents as well, because no parent can ever forget the consequences of sexual abuse of their children.
I am very proud today to support what our minister and the hon. member for Surrey North have put forward, because I have seen this and lived this and it has gone unchecked far too long. I am very pleased to stand here and speak on behalf of this fine member.
Thanks to the proposed changes, the justice system will continue to be something Canadians can be proud of. They can have confidence in this fair and balanced system that makes public safety the top priority and reflects our country's respect for victims' rights.
Those are the objectives of the motion moved by the hon. member for Surrey North. I urge all hon. members to join me in supporting this motion.