Mr. Speaker, that comes from an individual standing in the House of Commons who wants to separate from Canada. Is that not interesting. I find it ironic that the member may find the Young Offenders Act satisfactory to him in Quebec, but I can assure him that in my area the individuals do not. The difference is that the people in my area want me to come here and change it, not to quit and separate.
We asked for some things in this bill. We said that young offenders facilities need mandatory rehabilitation programs. Does that not sound like a rational thing to do? What does the government say? The government says that with the charter of rights and freedoms that sort of thing cannot be mandated. In fact, many young offenders say that if they had a little more discipline in their lives, that if they had been taught the right way, they could have learned a little better and changed themselves. But no, the government will not take that step.
We asked to establish a victims bill of rights under the YOA. This was not done. We asked that a person who commits two or more violent offences be designated as a dangerous offender. This was not considered. We asked for established federal standards for alternative measures with well-defined parameters. This was not considered. We asked that young offenders records be treated the same as adults. This was not considered. We asked for the publication of the names of violent young offenders. The government left this to the discretion of the courts, in other words, status quo.
Does the government really think that leaving things to the discretion of judges today is a good idea? I cannot believe it.
If we want good legislation, if we want things to be consistent, then we should have the courage in the House of Commons to say it and do it. We should not say, like on the child pornography issue, that we will be a little general about this and we will leave it to the courts to determine whether or not the possession of child pornography should be legal. That kind of cop-out is really hurting our country. It is hurting the issue of youth crime.