These offences are not equally serious. The noble intent expressed by the bill's sponsor and, of course, by the victims' groups, is that this crime should be called something other than “aggravated assault”. This crime would of course be considered more serious if it were called torture or some other name. The victims' groups would like the crime to have a more appropriate name to reflect what they have endured, rather than simply “aggravated assault”. I understand their intent and I think we might be able to find a solution.
Moreover, do you think we should adopt a maximum sentence that is harsher than the one for aggravated assault? Since we want to give this crime a different name, would it not be appropriate to impose a harsher sentence as well for this more serious type of crime?