Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his words tonight. I certainly understand what he is saying, particularly with respect to organized crime. When we hit the pocketbook, touch the financial resources, it will hurt and have an effect. There is no doubt about that.
I am really concerned that the member alluded to an incident where a journalist was shot and that there was a knee-jerk reaction. Over just a short period of time over 150 people in Quebec alone have died at the hands of organized criminals. These include not only gang members but also innocent bystanders. That is just in Quebec. That is not to mention what has happened across the country in many other areas where people have died. That is not to mention the hundreds and hundreds of young people, the most vulnerable, who have died of drug overdoses, who have been hired by organized crime.
There is violence galore. I do not think we can ignore the fact that violence is prevalent and that people are dying. It is not a knee-jerk reaction to one incident. When is somebody going to wake up, take the bull by the horns and say that is enough?
Maybe it will infringe on the rights to belong to an organization, providing that organization is definitely connected to all these problems. There might be even another one and another one. I really think that the hon. member is missing the boat by simply saying that taking away all the methods of earning money will be the answer. I think it has to be a combination. We have to start acting like we mean business. Maybe it would be a drastic measure.
It is true that we want to protect the liberties we are used to, the things to which we are so accustomed. All of us want that. It was not the politicians. It was not Mr. Trudeau and the charter of rights that brought in all these liberties. It was the soldier over many years of protecting the country. That is what brought us all these freedoms.
I would suggest a lot of these soldiers who died in wars to protect the freedoms we have would be turning over in their graves knowing how many people are being pulverized by these criminals. Sooner or later we must get a little stronger in our thinking, other than what can we do to break the backs of their economy. That is part of it, but in the meantime there will be an awful lot of violence to prevent that. What are we to do about that combined complex problem?