Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Labour.
I have been closely following both sides of this debate and I rise today to speak in support of Bill C-3. As the former chairman of the Waterloo regional police I have a keen interest in this area and in this debate.
We have heard from several hon. members that a DNA bank will increase public protection for all Canadians. The police community has told us that a data bank will help law enforcement agencies identify suspects where they have no leads, that it will assist in identifying offenders who commit serious crimes across all police jurisdictions in Canada, and that it will help prevent future violent crime.
To ensure the police have the most effective tool possible Bill C-3 has been drafted in accordance with the Constitution. Bill C-3 will authorize the courts to order persons convicted of designated offences to provide DNA samples for inclusion in the data bank. Upon conviction for a primary designated offence or a serious violent offence the court will issue an order requiring the offender to provide a DNA sample for the data bank, except in the most exceptional circumstances.
In the case of a conviction for a secondary designated offence which includes robbery and break and enter, offences that Clifford Olson for example was convicted of in his early criminal career, the court upon application by the crown may issue an order for the DNA sample to be taken for data banking purposes.