I have listened to the opinion of the police officers around me. There has been reference to revolving doors and the potential for parole. I cannot deny that there are issues. However, even if you accept the argument that offenders should serve the longest sentences possible without any opportunity for parole, the fact remains that they will be released at some point. What steps will have been taken to prevent them offending again?
To answer your question, I will focus first on the issue of repeat offenders and then on the initiatives that have been developed. It is quite obvious to all involved—and my colleague from Public Safety will be able to confirm this for you—that this Bill is designed to ensure public safety by jailing more offenders. This will of course represent additional prison costs.
Crown Attorney Murphy is with me here today. Unlike you or I, she fights crime on a daily basis. I am a member of parliament, a lawmaker like you. Also like you, I will be sitting on a committee this evening. However, there are people on the ground enforcing the law and fighting crime. This legislation will make their lives more difficult. There will be administration of justice-related costs pertaining to litigation but also to incarceration.
This Bill changes priorities. There will no longer be a significant focus on rehabilitation or the long-term fight against crime. Offenders—by which I mean youth offenders—will have served their sentences without having learned appropriate behaviour and therefore, will be more likely to offend again. Consequently, there will be more victims, more court appearances and more custodial sentences. Just imagine the potential costs. Quebec is clear that it will not pick up the tab. Even if our stated goals are the same, our methods are completely different. We do not intend to share the costs. It goes without saying that the Federal Government will have to pick up the tab.
As far as the steps we have taken are concerned, I met Mr. Nicholson on March 9. We talked about a good number of topics, including megatrials. It was on the basis of that I appeared here in support of the Bill. As I mentioned earlier, when a Bill is positive, we say so and when it is not we also speak out. We talked about Bill C-4 at that meeting.
We then submitted amendments. We thought that everyone would be in favour of a target like long-term public protection. We submitted amendments based on our 40 years of experience, but they have not been written into the Bill’s latest iteration—C-10.
As a result, I again wrote to Mr. Nicholson, my provincial counterparts, members of parliament and all parties. I am well aware of the fact that we are now dealing with a legislative process. Today I am keen to convey just how passionately I feel about the issue as a lawmaker. I am sure you must feel the same way and as such, I would remind you that it is important to give due consideration to any Bill before passing it into law. No heed has been paid to the studies, the science or the experience over the last 40 years that have enabled us to cut the crime rate. We could argue over a whole range of other topics but the statistics speak for themselves.