Thank you very much.
I'll begin by saying that I'm very heartened and hopeful as a result of the comments that Mr. Ménard has made and what appears to be a sincere expression of the fact that his heart has been touched by the pleas of the victims we so often hear at this committee who support mandatory minimum penalties, and at least that his heart has been touched by the pleas of victims of child sexual assault.
I am very grateful to him if he has now seen his way clear, as he says he does, to support a mandatory minimum penalty and even to use his considerable powers of persuasion to convince the rest of his caucus to support him. However, I believe that his pen has betrayed his heart, and that somewhere between his resolve to accept mandatory minimum penalties to protect the victims of child sexual assault and the drafting of this clause, his pen lost its way, because this clause would not be a mandatory minimum penalty. A mandatory minimum penalty that is not mandatory is not a mandatory minimum penalty. I wish I could say that in French to be sure that the translation is clear.
I was happy that Mr. Comartin clarified for Mr. Ménard that the close-in-age exception will protect perpetrators that Mr. Ménard was concerned about. As well, I was happy that the Department of Justice official clarified for Mr. Ménard that in fact this is a specific intent section, meaning that an accidental touching does not need any protection from a mandatory minimum penalty. There will be no conviction.
I hope that Mr. Ménard will vote with his heart and accept the clause as a real and true mandatory minimum penalty. I have a great admiration for les gens du Québec and their intelligence. I'm certain that the people of Quebec will know that a mandatory minimum penalty that is not mandatory is not really a mandatory minimum penalty.
I respect their intelligence enough to see through that. I'm sure that Mr. Ménard will too.
Thank you.