Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague from Mississauga West made a few comments in his original speech to which I take great exception. He said that the philosophy of the Canadian Alliance was “three strikes and you're out”. He also made reference to things such as boot camp.
He could not be further from the truth. There is no such thing as “three strikes and you're out” in our party. We want to see young people have the best opportunity possible. It is not negative when we bring to the discussion comments about notifying school boards and schools that they have a violent offender in their system. It is positive. By doing so we are protecting the most important resource Canada has, our youth, and we are also protecting the young offender. If we know what triggers the behaviour in a person then we can take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again.
I spent my twenties and thirties as a school trustee. I have a very clear understanding of what happens in schools and of the need for education. In the latter part of my years I was the mayor of a community and helped to set up a camp for young offenders. Education was the most important component of that camp.
I and my party understand the need for education. We understand that if we can educate children and stop them from doing what they are doing before they get a criminal record for the rest of their lives, then we have made a contribution.
Where does the member get the idea that my party stands for three strikes and the offender is out? That is not true. I would be very interested in hearing how the member feels about that.