I will let the Federal Minister of Justice speak for himself. My letters, specifically the ones dated March 14 and September 30, are public knowledge. Quebec’s position is no secret. My predecessor, Ms. Kathleen Weil, also shared the same position. This is not a new Bill. It existed well before the issue of youth offenders was raised. Consequently, our stand point was public knowledge. Indeed, all the other provinces are aware of our position.
That being said, you have given me the opportunity to reiterate Quebec’s position to the Federal Minister of Justice just to make things very clear to him and to you. As you say, we strive for long-term protection in Quebec. Indeed, long-term protection of the public is enshrined in the current legislation. The legislation that the Bill seeks to amend refers to long-term public protection. Can you tell me why they are removing the word “long-term“? What is the idea behind that? Why would you want temporary public protection? Explain that one to me.
The rationale for removing the reference to “long-term“ could in fact be the starting point for our discussion. I think it is because the Government wants to focus more on jail time than on rehabilitation or reintegration. We are not talking about offenders who are 52 years old and who will be serving a 25-year sentence. We are talking about 15, 16, 17 year-olds, who will undoubtedly be released into society at some point.
This issue is not like dust you can simply brush under the carpet. You have to lift up the carpet at some point. The system provides for offenders to be released. At that point, you have to lift the carpet out comes the dust. Sometimes, there is more than before. It is like putting a bandaid on an infected wound. The bandaid does not help the wound to heal. It merely conceals it. Sometimes, when you remove the bandaid, the infection has worsened. What should we do?
I have a lot of respect for the police. They also strive to protect the public in the long term. I am using your question as a pretext to convey to you the strength of feeling behind my appearance here today on behalf of thousands of stakeholders working with today’s young offenders. These people work day in day out to reduce the number of victims of crime. The way to achieve that is by focusing on young offenders. Without our help, they will be released from prison to reoffend and create new victims. Do we want more or fewer victims?