Madam Speaker, I have listened to what my colleague from the NDP has said with regard to this bill and I always appreciate his comments. I sat on the justice committee with him for a short time and I was always impressed with his clarity of thought, although at times we differ from a political point of view.
He touched upon the fact that we cannot separate the role of the justice system from dysfunctional families and the problems in society that lead to youth crime. I would like to ask the hon. member this question. If poverty contributes to youth crime, inasmuch as we have seen, according to the statistics, that there has been a dramatic increase in youth poverty since the Liberal government took over in 1993, does he suggest that the policies of the government have contributed to the extent to which youth crime has either grown or remained constant during this period of time?