Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table in the House today a petition signed by 472 people, adding to the 40,000 signatures that I have already tabled.
I would like to emphasize that most of the petitioners are between 10 and 15 years old. They ask the government to get tougher with people convicted of sexual assaults against children.
The petitioners are telling this parliament that it is time to act and to give sentences of up to two years for a first conviction and up to five years more for repeat offences.
My private member bill on that problem has been chosen and I will appear before the Standing Committee on Private members' business this afternoon to convince them to make it votable.
It is with a lot of emotion that I table this petition.