I am going to go quickly so I can respond to all the falsehoods I have just heard. There are a lot.
Let us remember a few truths. The government chose the time when we would start considering this bill. Why did it not introduce it while we were free, right at the beginning? Why did it prorogue in the first place? There have been no stalling tactics. We agreed to the resolutions at the last meeting because the witnesses said they were not happy with the time allotted to them. We had brought a large number of witnesses in at the same time. There was barely enough time to ask one of them a question. It was the witnesses who told us they were not happy with the way things went when they came to talk about this important bill, which they had studied thoroughly and about which they had serious objections.
I would remind you, for one thing, that at the last meeting there were witnesses from various fields who had not consulted one another beforehand, who all told us they were very unhappy with the conduct of the consultations held by the Minister, who obviously did not pay the slightest attention to them. They said they wanted to correct the impressions the Minister had got.
I would also remind you that the existing act, which is only 13 years old, is producing good results. Youth crime is declining. The witnesses who came here and complained that they did not have enough speaking time are convinced that if we go backwards, and that is what this bill does on certain important points, youth crime rates will go as high as before. Not everything in the bill is negative; some parts are even progress, and on those parts we will support you.
We have a different idea of efficiency. I have pointed this out to you several times. It seems that yours amounts to going as fast as possible, asking as few questions as possible and calling witnesses who will say what others have said before them. You think that isn't important, but actually it is. For example, representatives from the aboriginal nations have told us things that are similar to what was said by people from Quebec, who have the lowest youth crime rate in America, I would point out. These people see that there are dangers in the measures proposed by this bill. The fact that someone says something similar doesn't mean it is not efficient. Efficiency doesn't mean asking witnesses who agree about something not to say so.
In any event, we made a decision last time. So far, the chair has abided by it. I congratulate him for that and thank him. We are going to live with that decision. Otherwise, you are opening a Pandora's box. In the circumstances, another decision is being made, a motion with no notice, etc. Another one will be made in a half-hour, another one in an hour and yet another one at the next meeting.
I would also inform you that if I make a motion, it will be in French. Then you will see whether you are satisfied with the translation.