Mr. Speaker, part of the problem is illustrated by the hon. member's question. We are not discussing alternative measures. We are discussing, according to the former question, conditional sentences. They are very different.
Alternative measures occur when a province decides to avail itself of those provisions in the code that allow it to take people out of the criminal law stream before they are dealt with by the courts.
That is only for non-violent crimes where the crown attorney agrees it is in the public interest to do so and where the person in question has acknowledged responsibility. That is, on the one hand, dealing with non-violent matters.
Conditional sentences, on the other hand, occur after the charge and after the trial and where the court decides that a sentence of two years less a day or less is appropriate. Then people are permitted to serve their jail term in the community so to speak, subject to strict conditions. If they do not comply with them, they are reincarcerated.
If the hon. member would take that definition of the terms and put his question, perhaps I could understand and respond to it.