I go back to the question of the weapon's purpose. We need to ask ourselves if the taser, this non-lethal weapon, truly corresponds to our values, to the kind of society and police officers we want to have in Canada. If the answer is yes, we need not think any further.
We are talking about violent people, but there is a difference between violent, aggressive people—cocaine addicts or not—and the people we were just talking about. It seems as though we are becoming desensitized to this weapon. Could this go so far as to having the weapon used on children? I think we are slipping, as little as possible, when it comes to integrity and human dignity. The use of such a tool on children is barbaric. One need not be a philosopher to see that.
It is barbaric. Even when it comes to using this weapon on passive or ill individuals, I really have to wonder. It would put a lot of responsibility on our police officers to give so much leeway. They would have to have medical knowledge, and so on. That does not make any sense. I am not a doctor, but based on the statements made by the doctors here, it is clear that these situations are medical emergencies.