Here's what I think. We should all be honest. If we had a four-minute minimum, you'd probably oppose that, and that's fine. I understand where you're coming from, which is that right across the board when we bring in these mandatory prison terms, no matter what the bill is—I gave you a good example—you're against it. That's fair enough.
As for what we're trying to do, we have an obligation, as members of the House of Commons and the Senate, to give guidance to the courts. I've had members ask me, back on one of those 35 legislative committees that I was involved with in the 1980s and the 1990s, “Why are you only putting a five-year maximum?” Make it 10 years for the judge, they say. I'd say, look, the five-year maximum fits in with the type of crime that we are doing this on.
We also do it on minimums. I'm sure you probably would be against having a life sentence as the minimum for people who commit murder. You'd say, “Well, it could be some other sentence”. Well, they're there for a reason: to make sure that there are serious consequences for a certain type of activity.
If you commit murder, yes, you're looking at some very serious minimums. It's called “life” and you're looking at 25 years without parole. Again, that's not up for debate here, nor is the free trade agreement with Colombia, as you pointed out.
But I think this is a reasonable response to that. I am willing to believe that if you talk to your constituents and to the people in the law enforcement agencies, they'll say, “Yes, the Conservatives have it right”. Getting tough on crime and putting in these provisions are steps in the right direction.