Mr. Speaker, everyone here in the House of Commons will be receiving a letter from Keith Addy who is with us today in the gallery. Keith was a security guard from Ottawa who was in a coma after a hit and run by young offenders. The accident left him unable to fulfil his dreams of becoming a police officer.
I hope that you all will take time to respond to this young man. I think he deserves more than just a form letter from the government benches.
The following are some excerpts from his letter: “I have become, due to the intentional actions of a group of young offenders in July 1996, a victim. I did not choose this notoriety, it was thrust upon me that morning and has changed my life forever.
“Will incidents like mine be properly dealt with by the law? I think not, so long as the government fails to punish young people in a meaningful way for their crimes. All we victims ask for is justice.
“Our Minister of Justice and the rest of the federal government need to hear that the public is calling out for the Young Offenders Act to be abolished. The present amendments made to the YOA are by no means sufficient and the time to act is long overdue”.