Mr. Speaker, I usually agree with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice on issues of criminal justice, particularly very important ones such as this one. We usually agree on the major thrusts and on the implementation of the Criminal Code.
However, in this debate on the motion put forward by the Reform Party, which is obviously motivated by the recent amendments proposed to the Young Offenders Act by the Department of Justice, I have a hard time reconciling the speech made this morning by the secretary parliamentary with the new thrust of the Young Offenders Act, with the new way of implementing the youth justice system in Canada.
Clearly, and even with the virtual agreement of two parties, it is in response to the pressure exerted by western Canada and the Reform Party that the Liberals reviewed the Young Offenders Act to strengthen it and to provide for stiffer penalties.
How can we reconcile the speech of the parliamentary secretary on rehabilitation and social reintegration with the possibility of having 14 and 15-year old kids being imprisoned and having their names published in newspapers, which would mark them for life? How can we reconcile these two things with the parents' responsibility?
I therefore ask the parliamentary secretary if she thinks that her speech is credible with regard to that issue?