Madam Speaker, I took note of the fact that the hon. member was in my home town recently. I share with him the concern. I know he was surprised to see a needle exchange program in my community. I can share with him the reflections of many of the community groups that I have met with on this issue.
I want to go back to the hon. member's comments on the issue before the House today, which is the legislation providing for the role of victims in the criminal justice system. In my comments I talked about what I thought each of the parties brought to the table, as well as the participants. One of the things I talked about was rights and the competing balance between the rights of the accused and the rights of the victim. We have to find that balance.
I ask this in all seriousness because I am curious. The member refers to a bill of rights for victims. As I see it, there is a charter of rights for all Canadians. I know his party has long said that Canadians are equal in every aspect. If we all have rights under the charter, would the member then propose special rights for victims in a bill of rights and then perhaps special rights for those accused and special rights for other groups? Or is he proposing that we do away with the charter of rights for all Canadians and have particular rights for different groups?
I ask this because I see competing rights and I see rights as something that we all share and we all have to preserve. It is perhaps a philosophical question, but I ask it.