Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am also a little concerned. I am pleased to hear that the minister shares our concerns and that he wants to amend the Criminal Code. However, I am worried because, from what I understand, people are improvising or becoming apprentice legislators who are learning on the job, as we say.
I have a lot of respect for the Minister of Justice, Mr. Virani. He told us that he has heard our concerns and that he would amend the code accordingly. That's good, but when will he do it? We know that an election will be held in a year or a year and a half. Will he have time to do it before then? We don't know.
In the meantime, almost all the parties recognize that society is on a slippery slope. If the bill is passed, section 43 of the Criminal Code will be repealed. I don't want to speak for the NDP, but what I'm hearing is that the Liberals, the Conservatives and the Bloc think that repealing section 43 mindlessly is a mistake.
I'm proposing one alternative solution, and the Conservatives are proposing another. We could discuss what the best solution is, of course. The Liberals simply told us that they agreed with us, but that they would deal with this at some point, when it suits them. However, I don't think that's acceptable when we have such a serious and important mandate for the population as a whole.
What will we say to teachers or parents who are going to be charged with a crime when the majority of members of Parliament recognize that this should not be the case? Will we tell them that we didn't think it was urgent? Will we say that we agree with them, but that we have other things to do first? Not only do we have other things to do, but we preferred to abolish the old rule that protected everyone.
I don't understand that. I repeat, I feel that is improvisation. This morning, we were told that they agreed with us; okay. I am proud to say that I can change my mind. Give me something. I will stand firm on my position, but if you manage to convince me, I will change my mind. If I change my mind, I won't continue down the wrong path. The government recognizes that it's not right, but it's still going to continue along this path. Here is the underlying question: Why continue along this path? With all due respect, I would say that the picture is not very pretty.
The report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada raised concerns that were shared by everyone. We want to respond to it, but right now, the government is not committed to doing anything. Indigenous representatives have said that their children have been victims of violence at school. Everyone agrees that it makes no sense. Now they want to change the law for everyone—not just for teachers, but for anyone who exercises parental authority. I'm not sure that all indigenous communities agree on that. It may have been worthwhile to listen to those communities. They may have told us that things that don't make sense took place in schools attended by indigenous youth and that they need to be corrected, but the baby is being thrown out with the bathwater.
This is being done to respond to the report and to respond to a request from our respected NDP colleague, Mr. Julian—and I am not questioning his good faith. Mr. Julian is proposing something. The Liberal government is living on borrowed time. The government can fall at any time. If Mr. Julian decided that the plug should be pulled, it would be over.
The Liberal government has said that it accepts Mr. Julian's proposal. Mr. Julian reminded us that some indigenous representatives told us that it would make sense. But we are about to change the legislation for everyone. Everyone agrees that we are putting ourselves in an uncomfortable situation. However, we will do this to prevent the Liberal government from falling because it would no longer have the support of the NDP.
The request is being satisfied haphazardly, in a way that does not address the real problem that was raised in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
I find that deplorable and worrisome for Canadian society as a whole, and even for Liberal voters who may recognize themselves in what Mr. Maloney just said this morning. The Liberals recognize that a situation needs to be corrected and that this could be done elsewhere in the Criminal Code.
I have no problem with it being dealt with elsewhere in the code, but for the time being, let's look at section 43. If we want to be serious, let's keep section 43 as it is. Ideally, let's amend the provision based on what the Bloc Québécois is proposing or, at the very least, based on what the Conservatives are proposing.
In a month, in six months or in a year, when the Minister of Justice decides that all this needs to be reviewed, he can propose in a new bill to repeal section 43 and adopt another provision. That way, we can look at a complete solution to the problem and not a piecemeal solution that is an embarrassment to everyone.
Let's not forget that this is being done at the expense of all Canadians. Whether we are talking about parents, teachers or children, no one has anything to gain from this bill, except for one or two egos.