Madam Speaker, I would first refer the minister to the comment by my colleague from Surrey Central, who is also a Sikh and who made a very eloquent, passionate statement in the House concerning that issue. In our view, the scum who killed that Sikh gentleman should have been put away for a longer time. That is the bottom line. They committed an atrocious act.
What the Reform Party is saying on violent crimes or hate crimes is that if somebody commits a crime against another person because of the colour of their skin, is that really worse than committing a crime, a random act of violence? Is it worse if someone is hurt because of the colour of their skin or their religion, or if somebody happens to be passing by and their head is smashed in? They are both victims and they have both been hurt. They both have families that are hurt. They both bleed equally and both feel the same amount of pain.
The problem is that the judicial system is not supporting the victim. Right now the federal government should be pursuing a course where scum who commit an egregious act will be dealt with in a much stronger way.