Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We did take the weekend to consider the amendments that were tabled last week and to consult with the mover of this private member's bill. I certainly took some time and thought about comments that were made. I particularly agree with Monsieur Jacob's comments last week about education. I think it's very important. Educating our children about the sacrifices that have been made is something that our society should be much more on top of in a general way.
Even though I'm of an age, as Mr. Harris said, that I can see a 21-year-old as young, I am also thinking there's a 21-year-old sitting on your side of the table right now who has the full responsibility of a member of Parliament. There are also many 19- to 21-year-olds lying in graves in France and around the world who have served our country.
I'm also mindful that it's the 95th anniversary of Vimy Ridge this week. A great-uncle of mine, in his last letter home before he died in that battle at the age of 21, said, "I'm in command of 150 men. Can you imagine that, Mom and Dad? We're going to go over that hill today." He never came home.
It seems to me that if 19- to 21-year-olds can serve as members of Parliament and can go to war and die for our country, we should feel that a 21-year-old who has been able to grow up in peace in a country that was forged on the valour of those who have gone before should be mindful of war memorials and attempts we have made to honour those who have died for our freedoms and the way of life we have.
You've mentioned several times Ms. Varga's letter from the Legion as being in favour of your position. In that letter dated March 28, which you filed, she says that the Royal Canadian Legion “strongly supports the intent of Bill C-217”. She goes on to say, "Our membership is strongly in favour of recognizing the serious nature of these incidents and in consideration of the feelings and emotions expressed by all Canadians against such acts”, there should be appropriate punishments. She would like to see a mandated dialogue with veterans as a restorative justice measure.
There is nothing in this bill to my mind that prevents that. Those are the kinds of restorative steps that judges make decisions on all the time. There is nothing in this bill that precludes that kind of dialogue.
I also listened to our veteran witnesses here last week, some of whom are definitely getting up in years. One of their comments was that their members are aging and they don't have the time to babysit people who would do things like this. They welcome a dialogue. They would welcome them coming into the Legion and learning about them, but they also need public sanctions against this kind of behaviour. They're getting older and they don't have the energy or the time or the ability to try to change the mindset of young Canadians.
I think that's where my colleague's comments on education are very important. From what I hear, I think it varies across Canada. I believe in Ontario, for example, and particularly southern Ontario, there is a lot more education about our veterans than in my province of British Columbia, where it's not as much a part of the regular curriculum.
I know we've also talked about religious monuments and things like that. To my mind that may be something we should deal with, and it may be something we should deal with soon. Perhaps a bill will come forward on that issue, either as a private member's bill or through government, but we're not being asked to address that today.
When I hear about swastikas painted on cenotaphs still being visible on Remembrance Day in Woodstock, that doesn't seem to me to be a lesser offence than a swastika painted on a synagogue. It is equally offensive, and it's something we should condemn as a society.
If a bill like that came forward, I would be first in line to say I want to do something about this. What I really think is happening here is a difference in philosophy, and the philosophy of the opposition is that there really should be no mandatory minimum penalties in our Criminal Code. You've signalled that and you've been up front about it, and I respect that. That is your point of view. From our point of view, we think that in some situations there should be and can be, and that it is up to legislators to give parameters, both at the minimum end and the maximum end, to our judiciary, who then use their discretion within those parameters.
For all those reasons, I will be voting against the amendment.