Mr. Speaker, we have been waiting since 1993 for significant changes to the Young Offenders Act that have not come from the government. I am afraid, even with the new bill, that the changes are not the kind of changes most Canadians are looking for.
I have heard from a number of individuals from Quebec over the last eight years. The polls indicate very strongly to me that the people of Quebec are not happy with the Young Offenders Act.
The Bloc would like to keep the legislation intact because it claims that it is highly successful and popular in the province of Quebec. I would question that as being a fact. All victims of various incidents of violence and crimes by young offenders who reside in Quebec and to whom I have talked tell me quite the contrary to what I am hearing from Bloc members. I believe it is time for a change.
Unfortunately I cannot personally support the bill because it is not the kind of change that Canadians are looking for with regard to young offenders. We want to see some very serious things happen. The Bloc's reason for not supporting it is that it wants to keep the status quo. The status quo is not satisfactory anywhere in Canada.
The bill was adopted in 1984. In 1994 it was supposed to come under a 10 year review. The justice department came out with a report. It indicated that crime, particularly violent crime among young people, was increasing at an extremely high rate. In 1994 it was reported to be nearly 300% to 350% higher than it was in 1984 when the Young Offenders Act was brought in. It is going in the wrong direction.
Now we hear the rhetoric that everything is all right and that it is decreasing by 3% or 2%. That tells me it has levelled off for the time being, but it is still 300% higher than it was when it was first brought in. Surely it cannot be acceptable to the people in Quebec that they would have this high increase over a 10 year period since the act was introduced. There has to be something wrong somewhere.
I encourage Bloc members to go back and visit with people throughout their province to make certain the happiness they claim exists with the bill really and truly does. I believe they would find that not to be the case. Our party will be opposing the motion.