What I would suggest to this committee is that it may want to invite the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics to talk about the generational statistics of the sort that I've been mentioning.
On the issue of violent crime rising, overall crime rising, Canada's statistics demonstrate that very clearly. I mean, if you take five-year periods and then say the crime rate in certain areas is going down, certainly, but if you look at it in a generational way, I don't think anyone can honestly say things are better in terms of crime today than they were 35 years ago.
To suggest that I'm engaging in the politics of fear is I think an unsubstantiated comment. I don't have to engage in the politics of fear. I know that people are fearful. People are fearful, and what I am simply doing is representing those people who are concerned about crime, who see where our society has gone in the last 35 years. What I find encouraging is that there are jurisdictions where you can actually turn this around, but it does mean some tough measures. I can only point back to that New York statistic. I think to myself, to have a murder rate lower than it was in 1963...what would Canadians give to have a murder rate lower than in 1963?