Madam Speaker, I will begin my remarks by saying that I am very happy to see the government bringing back Bill C-17 so that it can be duly passed, in light of all that is going on in Quebec with the biker war.
On a number of occasions now, the Minister of Justice has told us that with Bill C-17 a series of things would be changed, which is supposed to make the work of the police easier. However, Bill C-17 went to first reading on March 8, 1996. For a bill that is as good as this one, it took the government a little while to table it so that we could give our views on it.
I will be able to come back to this at third reading and go into further detail. Right now, I understand that the debate is on the amendment presented by the government. I must say from the outset that we are in favour of this amendment in principle. If you followed the arguments of the Bloc Quebecois in the House as well as in committee at all, you will know that we have always favoured rehabilitating people in conflict with the law and returning them to society. In my view, the government's amendment is along these lines. You will therefore understand that we support it in principle.
I do not know if people realize it, but something rather extraordinary also took place this morning with respect to Bill C-17, in that the House gave unanimous consent to present amendments at this stage.
When we are dealing with an issue of importance to society, whether we are talking about Quebec or about Canada, all parties are able to set aside politics and move ahead with an extremely important bill; we did so this morning with two government amendments. We unanimously consented to the introduction of these amendments by the government.
My comment to the government across the way is that, if it had shown a little more political will, it could have tabled other amendments in line with what the Government of Quebec was asking for regarding an anti-biker gang bill. If the members opposite had had the political will to resolve what is a horrendous problem for Quebec, we could have proceeded in the same way, that is with amendments at this stage, and again we would all have given our unanimous consent, because this terrible problem must be resolved once and for all.
But instead the government again decided to turn a deaf ear, as it did with Bill C-17, since this bill was tabled on March 8, 1996 and it is now April 8, 1997. The government could have moved this bill along, since it tells us that police forces are depending on it to resolve certain problems.
On the substance, then, I have nothing to say. This is an amendment in keeping with the major orientations of the Bloc Quebecois, but I would like to send a message to the Minister of Justice and perhaps also the law clerks on the way these amendments are presented to us. We had a major job deciphering what was presented to us. We had amendments in English, and amendments in French that were not necessarily exact translations. The Criminal Code has to be consulted in order to see that, in fact, there are subparagraphs (a) and (b) in English, while in French there is a single paragraph.
I believe that the Minister of Justice and the hundred or so law clerks working with him ought to have thought of making changes at this stage so that a lawyer arguing a case in court could make himself understood, regardless of whether he is speaking in English or in French. I do not know whether subparagraphs, like those in the English version, make it easier to understand; if so, perhaps the French version should have the same structure.
I was just saying to the law clerks seated at the table-and this is not aimed at them, since I understand that this is a Department of Justice directive-that, if a lawyer is pleading a case in French
against an anglophone colleague who cites subparagraph 742.1(b) to the judge, he will think the French version is not up to date because there is no subparagraph to section 742.1. I think there is a problem here. Is it merely a language-related problem? Is it really just to respect the French and English ways of drafting texts? Perhaps, but still lawyers must not be prevented from understanding each other in a court of law.
I believe that the French and English texts ought to be designated and structured in the same way. If there are subparagraphs in one text, there must also be subparagraphs in the other, whether in English or in French. So the problem was at the translation level, since the section is a very technical one. I still feel it is important at some point to ensure that the texts match, so that there may be true understanding.
But, for the people of Quebec who are following the debates-when someone states that he is for, or against, a given clause, for example-I think that they should know why their Bloc Quebecois MPs are in favour of this amendment, and I shall finish on this point. This is an amendment to Bill C-17, which modifies a series of sections in the Criminal Code dealing with suspended sentencing, or more specifically the amendment which we are addressing.
As I have just pointed out, although there are subparagraphs to section 742.1 in the English version, there are none in French. Section 742.1 would read as follows:
742.1 If a person convicted of an offence, other than an offence for which a minimum prison term exists, is sentenced to less than two years' imprisonment, the court may, if it "is satisfied that serving the sentence in the community would not endanger the safety of the community and would be consistent with the fundamental purpose and principles of sentencing set out in sections 718 to 718.2", order the offender to serve his sentence in the community so as to supervise the offender's behaviour, subject to the conditions imposed pursuant to section 742.3.
The Bloc Quebecois has no hesitation in supporting an amendment that stresses the reintegration and rehabilitation of a person who has been charged with an offence. This is about reintegrating someone as quickly as possible in the community so that he becomes a law abiding citizen. This may be someone who has been in trouble with the law and was subsequently given counselling and treated for certain problems or a person who has changed his ways and can be quickly reintegrated in the community if he does not endanger public safety.
I was listening to what reform members had to say this morning. It may be something they experience in Western Canada, and their speeches probably reflect the positions of their constituents, but I thing that in Quebec, we are not that pessimistic about reintegrating these people in the community.
There is a difference between what is reported by members from Western Canada and our experience in Quebec. I agree we have certain fundamental principles, we have laws that regulate parole and the whole system, but I think we should pay special attention to this whole area of reintegration, and above all, we should not prevent anyone from being reintegrated into society. As I see it, the positive aspect of this amendment is that it supports reintegration while including some very important safety measures.
That is why I am pleased to support this amendment to Bill C-17, an amendment the official opposition in the House of Commons has been waiting for for a long time, and this morning it is pleased to support this amendment, so that Bill C-17 can be passed as soon as possible.