Mr. Speaker, since 1996 the government has been posturing on changes to the toothless 15 year old Young Offenders Act, the act that allows youth who commit violent crimes including murder and aggravated assault to get away with it.
Last May the justice minister released a discussion paper, a strategy for renewal of youth justice, and at the same time promised Canadians a new youth criminal justice act by the fall of 1998.
Fall came and went and now we are two months short of the first anniversary of the minister's discussion paper. Lo and behold we hear that a new youth criminal justice act will be tabled on Thursday.
In typical Liberal orchestration the new act will not be a universal code of conduct. Rather, it will allow opting out by those provinces that feel these darling young offenders are simply misunderstood. Those provinces and indeed most Canadians that wanted to lower the minimum age of young offenders from 10 to 12 will also be disappointed.
It is regrettable that after a decade of debate we will not get a universal code. On Thursday the window of opportunity closes for another decade. The government is afraid to stigmatize young offenders at the expense and safety of our communities.