Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have spoken in support of this motion and I wish to clarify some comments made by members of the Bloc and the government.
The hon. member for Mission-Coquitlam pointed out that opposition to the motion implies that the job of declaring dangerous offenders would be transferred from the judicial system to psychiatrists. That is definitely not the case.
When an individual has committed serious, indictable, sexual assault against an adult or any sexual assault against a child, the individual must be tested by two psychiatrists. The reason I introduced the motion is that, like many other Canadians, I am concerned that our system does not take seriously individuals who have shown an inclination or a pattern for this kind of serious sexual assault against an adult or children and does not incarcerate or force them into treatment to make sure these situations do not arise again.
The motion is putting into place that those individuals after being convicted of those crimes must be seen by psychiatrists who would determine whether the individual is likely to reoffend.
After that determination has been made by the psychiatrists, who are really the only people who have the tools to make that kind of assessment, it forces the courts to look at a dangerous offender application. They do not have to declare them dangerous offenders, but simply that the courts have to determine whether the individual is a dangerous offender.
We are not at all taking it out of the judicial system. We are not suggesting psychiatrists replace the judicial process. We are suggesting that because of past experience of people slipping through the system it is important to eliminate those areas where an individual may not be identified. We are talking about preventive measures, changing our laws in such a way that the emphasis is put on early identification of pedophiles and psychopaths, people who are likely to reoffend, and to deal with with them in a direct, upright and serious way.
If my colleagues in the House are really concerned about the protection of women and children, as the red book promised, and if they are really concerned about the safety of Canadians on the streets and in their homes and about the commitment to protect society from predators who do not hesitate to use children as their victims or intimidate and threaten women, I urge them all to support Motion No. 116 and show Canadians the House is prepared to do something to ensure the safety of all Canadians.