Mr. Speaker, I guess we can keep doing this all day. I would point out something that was said in the House by the previous speaker, and I am talking directly about that member. I would point out that I disagree. I consider his comments to be perhaps unfortunately inaccurate. He said that the government had not listened to any of the amendments put forward by other members in the House.
We all know the tragic story of the member for Surrey North. We know the heartache that he feels and we all reach out to him for the loss he has suffered. As a result of his input, and I just want to share this, other provisions in the bill would permit harsher penalties for adults who wilfully fail to comply with an undertaking made to the court to supervise youths who have been denied bail and placed in their care by permitting prosecution as either a summary or indictable offence. This measure responds to a proposal made by the member for Surrey North.
I do not know how we could be more clear. We have listened to that member in committee. We have listened to that member speak in the House. We know his pain and we think he put forward a good idea. If an adult is charged with the responsibility of supervising a young offender and that the young offender is allowed to go home under that person's supervision by court order, and if the adult individual decides to go to Florida or somewhere and leaves the young offender alone then the adult will pay a price for it. I think that is just. Clearly the government is listening to the member opposite who brought a real life tragedy into this place and into the bill. Members can stand if they want, but what the member said is inaccurate because there is a change in the bill which addresses that issue.
I want to talk about the age issue. Somehow we should lower the age to below 14 for young offenders to be dealt with under the new youth justice act. Somehow we should go to 10 year olds.
My wife Katie and I have raised three sons. My boys are 24, 27 and almost 29. It is hard to believe, as young as I look. Having raised those young boys I have had many other young boys around and young girls now, thankfully. If parents have not placed their values in young children by the age of seven, I believe they have lost it. I do not believe that once they get past seven parents will have a tremendous influence. I am talking about basic core values: what is right and what is wrong. If others believe that I suppose we could say we should lower the age to eight or seven.
The opposition party tries to deal only with the sensational crimes, and we know them. We saw a tragic beating in a Toronto park last week. Ten or twelve young people unconscionably beat a young boy to death. What in God's name goes through their minds? It is like a pack of animals. How they can do that is not something any of us can understand. We saw what happened in Taber, Alberta. We saw a young girl beaten to death by other young girls.
There is no question that there is a problem in society, but to use debate on this bill simply to sensationalize and appeal perhaps to the more red neck element in society is disgraceful. The bill is allowing for violent young offenders to be dealt with in adult court. Do we want eight year old kids put into jail or put into the arms of the police?