Thank you very much, I appreciate it. Maybe now that they know that they will not get up as often.
Let me now tell them about the attorney general in Ontario. They love the Ontario government on that side of the House and they will love it even less when it wins a re-election in Ontario with a big majority. This is what the attorney general of Ontario has to say about the Young Offenders Act:
Ontario is concerned that under the new federal bill 16 and 17 year olds who commit adult crimes are not automatically tried as adults.
That is a serious issue that most Canadians think of. Most justice ministers across Canada have asked this government to address this issue but it has not addressed it:
Even for murder, aggravated sexual assault, manslaughter and attempted murder there is no guarantee that youths will be sentenced as an adult. Even on the third rape charge, there is no guarantee of an adult sentence.
That is the kind of change we are trying to make in this bill.
Most serious violent offences still require the prosecutor to prove an adult sentence is necessary; jail sentences have been reduced; youths sentenced as adults for murder are still subject to more lenient periods of parole ineligibility than adults sentenced for murder; mandatory jail time is not required for youths convicted of an offence involving a weapon.
This could result in a 17 year old who commits first degree murder or other violent crimes still being treated as a child.
“Under this new act, a three time rapist could still be treated as a child. Rape, drug trafficking, guns—these are adult crimes and have to be treated as such. In the youth criminal justice act, there are no guarantees that serious violent crime will be treated as adult crime”, stated Mr. Harnick.
“What the people of Ontario have been asking for is legislation that will better protect our children and our communities, that will send a message to young people that they will be held accountable for their actions and would deter youth crime. Instead, the federal Liberal government has released a bill that has little regard for public safety and even less regard for providing meaningful consequences for criminal behaviour such as sexual assault, drug trafficking and use of a weapon”, said solicitor general and minister of correctional services, Bob Runciman.
“Many police officers and citizens across Ontario are frustrated with the Young Offenders Act because it seems primarily concerned with the rights of offenders”, explained York regional police Chief Julian Fantino.
“It's disappointing that the federal government won't take the opportunity to right this wrong and introduce a much tougher law to serve as an effective deterrent to youth crime”.