Mr. Speaker, amidst all the talk of criminal justice reform in the Young Offenders Act we often forget the victims who suffer at the hands of violence.
I would like to give a victim's impact statement today from a young woman in my riding, Christine Angus, who was recently beaten in broad daylight by two young offenders who demanded her purse:
"I knew that crime amongst young offenders was getting out of hand, but it was sort of on the sidelines and until this happened to me I never realized that crime is so close to all of us. I was on my way to work at 12.30 p.m., the noon hour, and two guys came up behind me, grabbed me around my throat and said they would hurt me if I did not give them my purse, then they spun me around". Christine was then beaten about the face and head.
Her final comment was: "Who will care for my emotional state? I cannot sleep at night. I am afraid. Who is going to help me with this?".
Victims like Christine feel betrayed by a justice system that lets them down time after time. Victims have special needs. Let us recognize them and hold young offenders accountable.