Thank you, Madam Chair.
Minister Virani, congratulations on your appointment. This is, no doubt, the first of many visits you'll have to the justice committee. We welcome you.
Minister, there's something I would like you to address at this committee. Since 2015, violent crime in Canada is up 39%, homicide is up 43%, gang-related homicide is up 108%, aggravated assault is up 24%, assault with a weapon is up 64%, sexual assaults—which go to the root of the issue that we have today—are up 71% and sex crimes against children are up 126%.
You're new as minister, but you are not new to the file, having served for some time as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice. There's a quote you gave that I'd like you to address. These are Statistics Canada numbers that I just listed. You said, “I think that empirically it's unlikely” that Canada is becoming less safe.
In the face of that non-partisan Statistics Canada information and hearing what, I'm sure, you're hearing from your constituents—the same as all members of Parliament are—which is that they feel Canada has become less safe, do you still stand by your statement that Canada is not becoming less safe in the face of those statistics?