Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand in support of the Bloc's attempt to hoist this legislation. This legislation is not really worthy of passing this House.
What I have seen in the debate around Bill C-45 is a pattern on the part of the Liberals across the floor to focus on the rights of the poor prisoner, rehabilitation of the poor prisoner, rather than on the issues that Canadians really care about, the rights of the victims and the safety of our society. Those are the issues that Canadians really care about. This legislation shows once again and is part of a pattern of this Liberal government in not going nearly far enough on legislation and on its actions as government.
For example, with regard to the deficit and debt this Liberal government has made a start in that area but has not gone far enough or fast enough. As a result what we have is almost a $30 billion deficit added to our debt last year. Now our debt is up to almost $600 billion. It is part of the Liberal pattern, not going far enough, not being tough enough.
What happens as a result of Liberal inaction? The interest payments on our debt are almost $50 billion a year and because of this increase in interest costs the Liberals have cut spending on programs like health care and education. The Liberals have not gone far enough.
If Reform's zero in three plan had been put in place, and we campaigned on this during the last election campaign, we would be debating what to do with the surplus. Should we reduce the debt more rapidly? Should we maybe spend more on health care and education, the areas that are most important to Canadians? That is a much better type of debate than most of the debates that we have had in this place as a result of Liberal inaction.
On every justice issue that has come to the House the Liberals have refused to go far enough. Canadians are very unhappy about that and very displeased with that. As I have been listening to the debate on Bill C-45 and other justice bills over the past three years, it is very clear the government does not have the will to do what it takes to make our country a safer place in which to live.
It should be no surprise because in 1972 it was solicitor general Goyer and a Liberal government that deliberately changed the focus of the justice system. This is part of the problem and part of the reason we have not had changes that are nearly tough enough and which go in the right direction.
This change was a change away from a top priority in our justice system, the safety of our society, making our homes and streets safe places in which to live.
The focus was taken from that and changed. The focus became, as we have heard throughout this debate, especially from the member for Kingston and the Islands, the rights and rehabilitation of the criminals.
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands probably got a lot of votes with the speech that he gave on this yesterday. What he was saying and showing is great concern for those poor prisoners. He has a lot of prisons in his riding of Kingston and the Islands. I am sure he got the prison vote. I hope they are not enough votes to carry him so that he is here in the next election.
This change in the focus to where the top priority has become the rights of the criminal, rehabilitation of the criminal, must change. It is certainly not what Canadians want. The focus that Canadians want is a focus that places as the highest priority in our justice system the rights of the victim and the safety of all Canadians in their homes and in the streets. That is what the focus should be. The Liberal's legislation that would move Canada toward that goal of being a safer place in which to live has been dismal indeed.
On the other hand, Reform has proposed several substantial changes that would refocus the justice system on the rights of the victims and on safety of people in this country.
For example, the hon. member for Fraser Valley West presented last spring a victims bill of rights focusing on the victim. The Liberals refuse to focus on the rights of victims. They do not seem to care about the victim.
The hon. member for Fraser Valley West presented a victims bill of rights. Had it passed, it would have become law. Did the Liberals support Reform on the effort to refocus the justice system, to give a higher priority to the rights of victims? Did the Liberals support this move? No. They voted against it. That legislation was shot down. Because of that, the victims still do not have the rights they deserve.
I want to quickly, because it is worthy of some debate and recognition, go through some of the points that the hon. member for Fraser Valley West has put forth in his victims rights bill, which is the type of legislation that Canadians want.
For example, he said victims should have the right to be informed of their rights at every stage of the process, including those rights involving compensation from the offender. They must also be made aware of any victim services available. It does not happen now.
They must be informed of the offender's status throughout the process including but not restricted to notification of any arrest, upcoming court dates, sentencing dates, plans to release the offender from custody, including notification into which community the parolee is being released and the conditions of release, parole dates and all that type of information.
We would think in a country like Canada with supposedly a well developed justice system that the victim would be shown at least as much consideration as the criminal. That is not the case. That change is needed.
Another proposal by the hon. member for Fraser Valley West is that the victim would have the right to choose between giving oral and/or written impact statements before sentencing. It is a right one would expect in Canada.
If this Liberal government will refocus, if it will come back again and do what Canadians want, focusing much more on the rights of the victim and on the safety of society, we will not have nonsense legislation like this and Canadians will be much more pleased with what it is doing. Right now Canadians are extremely upset with the inaction of the Liberals.