Mr. Speaker, today the South African Parliament opens. One of the first items on its agenda is the reform of the justice system to remove decades of prejudice and imbalance.
It is about time we did the same. Canada incarcerates offenders at a rate which is the third highest in the world. Canada incarcerates its aboriginal people at a rate which is three to four times higher than the population as a whole and at a rate which is twice the rate South Africa incarcerated blacks.
The right wing Reform Party is today asking Parliament to change the Young Offenders Act. The fact is 70 per cent of the offences committed by young offenders are only property offences but an amazing one-quarter of these youth who commit these property offences are sent to jail.
Unlike the right wingers opposite, our government is committed to putting justice back into the justice system.