Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for what you've brought out to my colleague, Madame Boivin.
This motion proposes to eliminate the reference to “significant” in clause 2 of the English version and the reference to “important” in clause 2 of the French version.
The Criminal Code provides a broad range of offences that apply equally to protect all Canadians, regardless of age, health, or gender. All offences have an impact on their victims; however, this impact may be exacerbated by reasons of the victim's age and other personal circumstances, such as their health.
As Mr. Villetorte has very ably outlined for us, the Standing Up for Victims of White Collar Crime Act, which we recently dealt with, amended subsection 380.1 of the Criminal Code to add an aggravating factor to the fraud offence, again aimed at helping seniors and the elderly.
The fact that the offence had a significant impact on the victims “given their personal circumstances, including their age, health and financial situation”, shows that we are trying to achieve consistency here.
The wording of Bill C-36, as introduced, recognizes that offences may have a significant impact on elderly persons who are particularly vulnerable because of personal circumstances and, in our view, ensures consistency throughout the Criminal Code in denouncing crimes committed against elderly persons.
Therefore, because of that consistency factor, we cannot support this proposed amendment.