Mr. Speaker, the justice minister is so far out of touch with reality that he will not
even acknowledge the fact that since the introduction of the Young Offenders Act, youth violent crime has increased by over 400 per cent.
It does not take much to conclude that this Liberal oriented document simply is not working. Rather than address this legislation as unworkable, the minister's recent comments indicate the probability of punishing the provinces by removing funding if they do not change their ways.
He claims that 80 per cent of the funding goes to incarceration while only 20 per cent goes to alternative measures. He also claims that provinces are acting more like vigilantes than justice agents.
When will the minister wake up and realize the Young Offenders Act contributes to more law breaking than it prevents? Why does he not recognize the YOA is a joke to most youth? Why does he not scrap the Young Offenders Act in its entirety, introduce programs and measures that will prevent youth crime and penalties to indicate society is no longer prepared to handle youth crime with kid gloves? When will we send the strong message that youth-