Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few comments on the bill before the House today.
We can all take some instructive lessons from the bill. It moves us closer to having the laws of the land more adequately enforced. That is important. It was talked about this morning. That is good. It is something members of Parliament on all sides want to see. We all want to see the laws of the land being enforced and the people who have taken on the task of enforcing our laws being given the equipment to do it effectively.
Why do we want that? We want to protect the vulnerable. We want to ensure that the laws of the land serve the best interests of the country and its citizens. If we passionately care about Canada, which I know we all do, we have a strong desire to see the laws of the land upheld and officers equipped to do just that.
Parliament, as I understand it, is where the laws are shaped and the foundation of our legal system is set in place through the democratic process. I heard today some members of my own party articulating that we have lost something in Canada. The intent of the law is to protect Canadians, the vulnerable. Sometimes it is being negated by technicalities in the courts. This is tragic. It does not serve to strengthen the country. It serves to tear it down.
Many of us are concerned about it. We will continue in the days ahead to make sure the intent of law, protecting the vulnerable and the interests of the majority, will be dealt with.
There are some other side effects when technicalities overrule the intent of the law and the courts. One of the real tragedies is for the officers we are talking about to have new powers when after carrying out their duties and possibly putting their own lives at risk in difficult situations they see all their work blown away in a courtroom due to a technicality. It is greatly demotivating.
It is not just customs officers. In my own riding several constables on the police force have had every bit of their motivation and passion for their work torn out of their hearts by seeing again and again cases thrown out due to technicalities in an obviously guilty situation. To see the guilty go free is not only devastating for them. It totally shatters the intent of the law to protect the vulnerable. We put more Canadians at risk when we let the courts run the land. As has been said today, we have a legal system and not a justice system.
What does it mean for the youth of the land when they see someone who is clearly guilty, and the evidence is greatly stacked to suggest that some sort of court action needs to be taken, being treated lightly or possibly freed? Respect for the law by the young people of Canada is diminished when this happens. This is not only tragic for today, but as young people grow up with that kind of an attitude toward the laws of Canada we reap very significant negative returns. We need to instil a respect for Canadian law that has been set in place through the democratic process and the parliament in which we serve.
Probably my most important concern is that when guilty parties are treated lightly or set free, innocent, hardworking, law-abiding Canadians and Canadian families are put at risk.
These are the people I and the members of my party are very concerned about. We must make sure that we do not just have law enforcement officers and laws that are greatly diminished in their effectiveness by a legal system and not a justice system.