Mr. Speaker, I have just a slight intervention here. I know that time is just about up for questions and comments and I want to allow my hon. colleague from Red Deer at least some time to respond.
He did mention during his speech the concern that we hear expressed about the potential for persecution in the sense of there being widespread disclosure of the registry. I know that this is a concern. Nobody wants to see any individuals persecuted and their picture on every lamppost no matter what crimes they have been convicted of, and supposedly they have paid their debt to society, and I use that term loosely, by serving time in jail. Nobody wants to see those individuals persecuted and their picture on every lamppost, but I think there is a need for retroactivity.
There was a lot of discussion about this. The case has been made for it and for that information to be available to the local authorities, the school districts, child care organizations and so on, not so that it may be made public but so that it may be made available to those authorities to protect society and hopefully to prevent crimes against children in particular.