Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to be on the record that because of the mandatory minimums that are included in proposed sections 172.2 and 173, I will be voting against it. However, I also want to be very clear that this amendment proposed by the government, in spite of the problems with mandatory minimums, is in fact a good development, one that we absolutely need in terms of giving both our police and our prosecutors the ability to catch this type of activity within the scope of the Criminal Code. I just want to recognize that.
However, the rest of it, in terms of the mandatory minimums, just flies in the face of all the evidence that we've heard about the need. These kinds of offences are getting jail times anyway, but there is an absolute need, I believe, that we reserve the discretion to our judiciary to impose the proper sentences, both short term and long term, and leave that within their hands.