moved for leave to introduce Bill C-302, an act to amend the Criminal Code (conditional sentencing).
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for Wild Rose for seconding my bill.
Conditional sentencing was introduced in the 35th parliament in the former Bill C-41. Since that time, tens of thousands of conditional sentences have been handed down. Most of these sentences are for petty crimes. However many have been handed down for crimes as serious as sexual assault, manslaughter, drunk driving and drug trafficking.
In 1997 the B.C. Court of Appeal stated in a decision regarding conditional sentencing that “if parliament had intended to exclude certain offences from consideration it should have done so in clear language”.
My bill does precisely that. It lists the offences to be excluded from any possibility of receiving a conditional sentence. The justice minister wants Canadians to wait for the supreme court to decide whether or not conditional sentences are appropriate. I believe these decisions are to be made in parliament with direction from Canadians, not the courts.
A recent national poll states that 84% of Canadians are in favour of this bill. I encourage all members of parliament to support the bill and the overwhelming view of the majority of Canadians.