Mr. Speaker, that is a very broad question which allows me to go off in almost any direction. I would reiterate that, first, we need to make sure our young people are taught a system of morality which holds up and is consistent. We have a moral void with all of this moral relativism in our society.
I also worked for many years on a board which ran a camp for young people, children and families. It was a great experience to get outdoors and go camping with these young people. When I worked there I was young myself. I am now getting on, by a few more years.
I believe that those are very important issues.
We have many volunteers in my riding who work with young people in sports programs, camping programs and all of those things. I think that prevention is absolutely mandatory.
We have to kick that into high gear. We have flagged on it. Our families are struggling. Many of them are in conflict because of high taxation. Both parents have to work even though they would choose not to if they did not have to. As a result our families are not as strong as they ought to be.
With respect to those who actually commit the crime, what do we do with them after? As I have said, we ought to hold them personally responsible, certainly if they are involved in things like trafficking in drugs which often happens. This is one of the motivators of crime. Many of our young people get hooked on different kinds of drugs. Because the people from whom they get the drugs are not about to donate them, they go about financing it by break and enters and all sorts of things.
This is perhaps a novel way of handling them, but I would get them out into the woods. I would take them out to a camp; I really would. I am not talking necessarily of a strict boot camp but there would be some discipline. These young people would have to learn that there is an authority structure to which they have to submit themselves. Otherwise we have chaos in the country. We are all subject to authority. They too are subject to authority. The faster they learn that, the better off they will be and the better off we will all be.
I would provide work experience. I know of a person who does this in his work with Manitoba justice. They actually bring young offenders to a place where they are under their care and keeping 24 hours a day. They provide work for these young men. They are chopping firewood. They get to do things that are useful. It gives them a sense of accomplishment. They actually work for their food. It is a great way of steering them away from the crime they have entered into.
In all cases there is not a perfect success rate, but they have at least as high a success rate as the ones who simply go to prison and learn from the pros.
We would do well in the justice systems in the different provinces if we expand the use of smaller groups such as that. It probably would not cost as much as running our prisons and we would have a much higher degree of success.