Mr. Speaker, I am certainly glad the member was not looking at me when he talked about being heckled and not listened to. I was listening intently.
It is too bad the hon. member was not here for my entire speech. He came storming out here in the last couple of minutes and by golly, he has all the bases covered. If he had heard the speech properly, he would have heard me say nothing against electronic monitoring.
I was only wondering if this kind of law, which would make it possible to electronically monitor those who have not even been convicted or charged but who are only suspects, would pass a charter test. I am sure the hon. member believes it might. I am not so sure that it will. There should have been a little more care taken
in putting the bill together. If it has to be challenged, then it will be challenged.
Many people I have talked to have said that when we start electronically monitoring those who are only suspects, we are moving very close to a police state. We do not want that in Canada. If indeed that is true, we need to talk about it and get rid of that idea if that is what it is leading to.
There is a six-month limitation. There is a six-month period where a person can be declared dangerous. Why only six months? That is all I am asking. Why does the bill say six months? Why not leave it open ended? Ten months from now they may wish they had, but that will be too late. Why do we want to limit ourselves? Leave it up to the people who work in the prisons. Leave it up to the guards and those who have the expertise to let us know when it is time for the person to leave and whether they consider him to be dangerous. If they do, then for heavens' sake, do not let him out.
If that had been done in the Melanie Carpenter case which the member knows well, Melanie Carpenter would be alive. The member knows very well that the killer of that girl was declared to be a real threat the day he was let out. The member knows that and he is willing to allow this bill to go through without addressing the Melanie Carpenters of this land. Who are these guys for, the criminal? Time after time after time they do what they have to to protect the rights of the criminal. What about the rights of the victim?
When are we going to stop having laws written by the lawyers for the lawyers? More court cases, more appeals. Declare him a dangerous offender, appeal it. That will be another court case. We have to keep these guys working. Keep the legal industry booming. Use a little common sense is what we are talking about. That six-month thing the member mentioned is ridiculous.
The bill is the start of a good thing. This is the best effort yet by the justice minister. That is what I believe, but it needs to be fixed.
If the member and other members of his party are allowed to do their job, which I strongly doubt they are, then maybe we could end up with a bill that is worth having. This one, as it stands, is not.