Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I should begin by telling you that I am old enough to have followed the debates on the death penalty. I was already an adult.
What struck me the most was that one of the main reasons the Liberal government decided to abolish the death penalty was the belief, backed up by studies, that in many cases the death penalty itself was not a deterrent to murder. For example, if it was a crime of passion, premeditated, but driven by passion, whatever the nature of the passion, passion being an integral part of what we are.
Your question is a good one, but what do the bill and our interventions say? We are not questioning the existing statute, which says 25 years, especially since, in certain cases, three successive hurdles must be crossed: the judge, the jury-peers-and finally, if the jury agrees, the parole board, followed by conditions that are rigorous and must be observed, failing which the paroled inmate is reincarcerated.
It seems to me that for years now people have been creating a system that answers I think, or attempted to answer, the question you are asking. I would never say three years. In any event, I am not qualified to say.
What I observe is that this society has for years found ways, various ways it is true. Yes, there were some cases, but, in the end, should people who are ready to reintegrate society be forced to stay in prison because of a few cases? That is why I say that our approach must be either punitive or consider that at a certain point, the sentence served is sufficient for the offender to be allowed to resume his life in society and become part of the community.
I think this particular situation, and mind you, I am not an expert, I am really your average citizen in this debate, but when we consider all the obstacles a person who committed this heinous crime must overcome before being granted parole-it seems to me that answers your question. Not three years, not six years, but 15 years minimum. That is a long time.
That is the best thing I can suggest but, I repeat, my main conclusion is that the death sentence is not a deterrent to crime. So yes, society must decide to what extent it makes the offender pay. What is it worth to society? Is it worth it to have someone who could be a useful citizen after 15 years stay another 10 years in prison at a cost of $76,000 annually? Is that what Canadian society needs? That is the real question.
We think that when someone has gone through three successive screenings and has to meet certain conditions, society should give him a chance to do his share. That is all we are saying. It would be useless and, in fact, counterproductive from the social point of view. That is what I wanted to say.