Mr. Speaker, yesterday a good friend of mine was laid to rest in Mission-Coquitlam. Roger was a victim of armed robbery and the gun used was not a handgun but a sawed-off shotgun.
This crime happened because two young men have no respect for the law, no respect for the rights of others and probably have never been held accountable for their actions.
What we need in this country is crime control, not gun control. We have the laws in place. What we have to do is enforce them. We must establish the rights of victims over the rights of criminals, tougher sentencing and the tightening up of the Young Offenders Act.
If we put emphasis back on the role of the family in teaching the basic values which build character and make responsible citizens of our young people, then we will be going in the right direction. Responsibility begins at home. In this way we can attack the very serious crime problem in Canada by teaching respect for others and respect for our laws at a very early age.