Mr. Speaker, congratulations go out to the Quebec Court of Appeal for its good sense in ruling that the four year minimum penalty for committing an offence with a firearm does not violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The automatic sentence was part of the federal government's tough gun control package that was introduced in 1995.
Prior to the amendments, the one year minimum penalty for using a weapon while committing certain crimes was supposed to be in addition to the sentence for the crime itself. The new provision was challenged by a first time offender and the judge wisely ruled that the four year minimum did not constitute cruel and unusual punishment contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The judge continued to say that the mandatory sentence was severe but it was not disproportionate and did not offend the standards of decency.
I welcome this decision as we try to cope with the rights of victims. The victim is much more traumatized by robbery with a firearm than without. The four year mandatory is the right way to deal with the trauma imposed. The four year mandatory is the right way to go.