Mr. Speaker, I did not want to take part in this debate; I especially did not wish to comment on the hon. member's speech. However, given the well-known difference between his way of thinking and the mentality in Quebec, I feel compelled to speak up.
The way I view these matters is far removed from that of the Reformers. To listen to the hon. member, one would think that young people are the very scourge of society. One would think that young people 18 years of age or younger are truly responsible for the majority of crimes or that crime is increasing because of 18 year olds. We need only look at the statistics. I am a Bloc member and I will use statistics from Justice Canada: we see that the average number of persons under 18 years of age suspected of homicide has dropped considerably in recent years as compared with the 1970s.
Since the 1970s, I believe that the number of serious and abhorrent crimes committed by young offenders has decreased. There are of course the tabloids-the type of newspaper Reformers probably read-which report and in fact highlight such serious crimes. Yet that is not a true representation of what is happening in Canadian society, especially in QUebec.
Would the hon. member please say whether, in his own province at least, the present young offenders act is enforced in the spirit of its objective? Specifically, the act states that "the protection of society. . . is a primary objective of the criminal law applicable to youth". This objective is served by rehabilitating young persons whenever possible. In his own province, is
the act enforced with this objective in mind at least? Is there a system to rehabilitate and reintegrate these young people? It is fine to criticize, but are the minimum instruments in place to help reintegrate these young people into society? I think not.