Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in opposition to the amendments proposed by the hon. member for Bellechasse and the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands. These amendments clearly demonstrate that the hon. member for Bellechasse and the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands have absolutely no understanding of the horror inflicted on murder victims.
The truck driver who witnessed the horror of Melanie Carpenter's face as she sat captive in the front seat of her killer's car understands the terror endured by this victim. The jury who endured the vivid testimony of Karla Homolka and witnessed the graphic audio account of the torture inflicted by Paul Bernardo on Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy understand the pain and suffering of these victims. They understand the constant anguish the families of these young girls live with every day of their lives, lives that have been destroyed.
These amendments show that the member for Bellechasse and the member for Kingston and the Islands do not empathize with the families of murder victims and the nightmares they endure as a result of the heinous crimes committed against their children and grandchildren. For these members to allow that anguish to keep festering, to allow the wounds of the families of victims to be opened and reopened is wrong. Yet that is precisely what this amendment will allow.
Every time a killer applies for a judicial review of his parole, the family and society relive the horrible memories and live in terror of the possibility that these killers will be released early from prison.
Section 745 of the Criminal Code demeans the value of a human life as does Bill C-45. These amendments are proposed by the member for Bellechasse and the member for Kingston and the Islands. All are examples of a blatant disregard for human life, the families of murder victims, the safety of society and a blatant disregard for the wishes of the Canadian public, many of whom are demanding a return of capital punishment for first degree murder.
Section 745, which provides killers with an avenue for early release, makes a mockery of the term life imprisonment. The penalty for premeditated first degree murder is life imprisonment without the eligibility of parole for 25 years. A life sentence is not about rehabilitation. It is about punishment and retribution for the
most horrible crime in society, the premeditated and unlawful taking of an innocent life and the devastating effect this has on society.
These amendments and the minister's refusal to eliminate section 745 demonstrates clearly the value the justice minister places on the lives of Canadians. He, as does a majority of his caucus and the Bloc, believe the lives of our children and grandchildren are worth only 15 years.
If the justice minister asked Canadians to place a value on the lives of their children, overwhelmingly their response would be life in prison or capital punishment. The justice minister does not believe in punishment or retribution, only in rehabilitation and that is what we have been getting from the bleeding heart mentality for the past 25 years. They tolerate the most extreme crimes in society while mocking and ridiculing those who would bring a sense of sanity back into the justice system.
They accept and promote the worth of a human life at only 15 years. Section 745 of the Criminal Code nullifies the penalty for first degree murder. It provides murderers an opportunity for the judicial review of their parole ineligibility after they have served just 15 years of a life sentence.
These amendments do not repeal section 745. Bill C-45 does not repeal section 745 of the Criminal Code despite strong demand across the country to do so. Victims groups, the Canadian Police Association and I would suggest the majority of Canadians believe that section 745 should be eliminated completely because a life is worth much, much more than 15 years.
Nothing except the full elimination of section 745 is acceptable to the Reform Party. It is for precisely this reason I oppose these amendments. I oppose any half-baked attempt to modify, change or amend this repugnant and unacceptable section of the Criminal Code.
The amendments and Bill C-45 are nothing but a meagre attempt by the justice minister to sugar coat this repulsive provision of the Criminal Code which bestows on killers an unjustifiable right for early release.
Bill C-45 strips multiple or serial killers of the right to apply for early parole. However, this only applies to multiple murders committed after passage of the bill. This creates categories of killers, good killers and bad killers. Good killers are being granted special status, a hallmark of this government. We saw special status in Bill C-41, in Bill C-33 and in Bill C-110. We see special status being created in this bill.
Good killers will have the right to appeal for early release from prison while bad killers will serve out their life sentence. Thanks to the justice minister's ill-conceived strategy of waiting until the 11th hour to introduce Bill C-45 and thanks to Bloc members for reneging on their word to not unduly delay Bill C-45 so that it could pass before the summer recess, Clifford Olson, Canada's most notorious killer has the right in law to apply for a reduction in his parole ineligibility. Section 745 provides killers like Olson the right to appeal any negative decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
As of December 1995, there were 574 first degree murderers incarcerated in Canada. Of those, approximately 5 per cent were multiple killers. Multiple killers, sentenced after the passage of Bill C-45, will not be eligible to apply for a reduction.
The provisions of Bill C-45 do not appease the Rosenfeldts, whose son was murdered by serial killer Clifford Olson. The Rosenfeldts, the Mahaffys, the Frenchs and many other Canadians will not be satisfied until multiple killers receive fair and just penalties: consecutive life sentences for each of the lives they so viciously stole, not a meagre 15 years for the torture and killing of 11 innocent children as supported by the Liberal government.
Clifford Olson should be serving 11 consecutive life sentences. This is the only fair and just penalty for the taking of 11 young lives.
This amendment of Bill C-45 is nothing but a bleeding heart attempt to tinker with a penalty for first degree murder. Killers do not deserve that which they denied their victims. Murderers should not be given a glimmer of hope nor any incentive to ease the burden of the severity of their punishment because they did not give their victims any hope.
For the criminal justice system to provide a killer with a so-called glimmer of hope or to restore their rights is a further injustice to the victim, the victims' families and an offence to Canadians.
I am confident all Canadians would agree with this statement. I think most Canadians would agree that these amendments to Bill C-45 demean the value of human life. I therefore oppose them because they are not worthy of support.
It has been suggested by my House leader that we not proceed with Bill C-45 today until the matter of Bill C-234 is resolved. It can be resolved in many ways. For the good of this institution and the spirit of private members' business we should adjourn this debate and allow the House leader to work out a solution.
I move:
That the debate be now adjourned.