Mr. Speaker, the last two speakers from the Reform Party have spent an awful lot of time focusing on the general background of criminal law legislation, the fears of Canadians and those types of things. While those issues are important, although I am not saying I agree that there is all this fear they say is out there, surely they again have missed the point of dealing with the legislation at hand and I want to ask the hon. member to comment on this.
This particular statute addresses the institutional aspects of responding to criminal behaviour after people have been sentenced by the courts. It deals with institutions that deal with offenders who have sentences up to two years.
The federal legislation for the federal institutions that deal with all of the other longer term offenders, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, was recently amended here in this House for the second time. First on the list it deals prominently with public safety.
This statute which we debate here is an attempt to parallel and incorporate much of what is in that CCRA statute by concept and it deals with the administration of temporary absences. It tightens up on the administrative ability to terminate, cancel and administer them. In other words, addressing public safety.
Does the hon. member not think he has failed in addressing this bill to and acknowledge that the government in this case is updating the Prisons and Reformatories Act to bring it in line with the CCRA, which has as its number one focus protection and safety of the public?