Mr. Speaker, hundreds of Canadians have gathered on the lawns of Parliament Hill today and it is not over a concern with respect to the Quebec referendum or trade treaties that has brought them together.
It is a more fundamental concern about the safety of their children and their loved ones. These are ordinary folks and their demand is very simple. They want the government to do more to protect the lives and property of Canadians from criminals. They want the rights of victims to be placed above the rights of criminals.
What does the justice minister propose not to say but to do for Melanie Carpenter's father and all of the victims of violence who feel that in Canada the state, the law, the government, the parole board and the justice system have failed them in a tragic and fundamental way?