Mr. Brock is moving an amendment to mandate a four-year mandatory minimum sentence when a firearm is used in the commission of an extortion offence. We are witnessing horrible videos—on the news and social media—of people in the greater Toronto area shooting at residential houses and of mobs shooting at homes in the middle of the night repeatedly to demonstrate their strength, to flex and to threaten people to get them to do something that they otherwise wouldn't do, and that is typically to pay money. It is unthinkable that we have a crisis of extortion in Canada right now.
Unfortunately, this is something that my family has witnessed, but not in Canada. My aunt owned a flower store in Haifa, and she was compelled to pay protection money. When she didn't, her flower store was burned down to the ground. Then she didn't again, and her flower store was again burned down to the ground.
This is not arson. This contemplates a firearm. I think that extortion.... When mobs—and in this case we often deal with foreign mobs—intervene in our small business climate and start extorting people for money, that's where the rule of law breaks down. This is not an offence against the administration of justice. It undermines the rule of law so fundamentally that justice in itself is now in doubt.
This bill gives us an opportunity to address this crisis, which I've heard the justice minister discuss in the House multiple times. I'm very pleased that the chair has ruled this amendment in order. I point out that the chair ruled out of order a previous amendment, which prescribed a minimum mandatory sentence where a firearm is used in a robbery. Now this one is ruled in order. The Liberals have an opportunity to do something very important.
Thank you.