Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak today on the motion introduced by my learned colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, whom I congratulate on his good work.
Since becoming the Bloc Québécois critic for justice, he has worked unstintingly on other matters as well, of course, but this one is particularly close to his heart. In fact, the document being debated during our opposition day was suggested by my colleague. It is important therefore today for the Bloc Québécois to pay tribute to him by agreeing to dedicate this opposition day to him.
In addition, Madam Speaker, before starting I would like to tell you that I am going to share my time with the member for Repentigny.
Why am I pleased to speak? Because too often in our society, despite the charges that are laid, men and women say that crime pays because they see criminals being charged and sentenced but continuing to traffic and live the high life. That annoys people. People work hard to earn their living but see freeloaders using the legal system by spending a lot of money on legal representation. They always succeed in getting away with it, and in the end, keeping the wealth they have accumulated through their illicit activities.
For example, we all have incredible situations in our parts of the country, some more than others. Among other places, a crime was committed yesterday in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. People said, “Look, these people were living the high life with a fine house on the edge of Lake of Two Mountains, and so forth”. There will surely be an investigation, and people did not dare say too much. Journalists interviewed some people, who said, “You know, when you see those people, they are young and you don't know what they do for a living. They don't work and they drive around in their vehicle. At times like that, all you do is avoid bothering them because they have cameras all over near the properties”. Finally, yesterday, there was a tragedy. It is sad for the family, and I hope that there were not any children who witnessed this outrage. Rumour has it, though, that these people are connected to the world of drugs and trafficking.
Marijuana has become a plague. Revenues are more than $60 billion. It is obvious with what happened in western Canada this week that it is very profitable and many people are taking advantage of it. That has to stop. If we can clamp down on the money that these people make, we will be able to clamp down on the whole thing and all the trafficking.
Here is another example. There is a nice lake called lac Simon in my riding of Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel. It is beautiful, thirteen kilometres long, with a gorgeous beach located in Duhamel. This property of the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec, has been, for many years, rated as being one of Quebec's most beautiful beaches. It has a four kilometre pebble beach. It is therefore a huge investment.
A couple of years ago, a young man settled by lac Simon and decided to build himself a very fancy house, in complete contempt of environmental standards. The town took him to court, but, at considerable legal cost, he managed to win his case. In the end, he did make some changes. But the point is, without the required authorizations, he built a multi-million dollar house.
Everybody wondered what he did for a living. Rumours flew, each grander than the next: he had won the lottery, he was the heir of a rich family, he owned a number of car dealerships. However, last summer, what should have happened happened. He was arrested and people discovered he was the head of a major marijuana trafficking ring. Charges were brought against him, and, ultimately, his assets were seized. By assets, we mean the house, the plane, the helicopter, the boats, the motorcycles, and all the rest.
I would say that they spent as much as they could. On the beautiful beach I mentioned earlier, there is a small bamboo bar. I had the opportunity to go there this summer. I asked who owned this nice place, who rented it and then I was shown what was behind it. We are talking about a beach with 10,000 to 15,000 visitors. Behind it was a Corvette and the latest all-terrain vehicle. I was told the name of the person who managed it. I know this individual; he has never worked a day in his life.
Surprised, I wondered what this individual had done to obtain such nice things. I asked a few questions, but everyone said the answers were not forthcoming. Those who knew said that it was too serious, that he was working with the man who owned the plane, the man who owned the helicopter and the famous Peter Cash. This name has been in the news. He was living the high life. Finally, in September, it became clear that all this was tied to organized crime.
In light of these events and the investigation, the RCMP obviously seized all these vehicles and all those assets. However, to everyone's surprise, a few months later, all these items and assets were returned, and this individual got his house back, which had been put up for sale.
In fact, when this house went up for sale, everyone wondered who would buy it. The media reported the wildest rumours: artists, talent agents, television network owners. I can say that it is a stupendous house. Finally, one fine day, the sign was gone. There were renewed rumours about the buyer's identity. Finally, the media reported that the seller had decided to take the house off the market. The seller was the famous Peter Cash, who had faced charges and who still owned his assets and was doing as he wished. He had decided that it was not the right time to sell it.
Everyone wondered why the RCMP had not seized his assets. It was ultimately because the current legislation prevents this from happening. In other words, the RCMP was not able to prove that those assets had been purchased with the proceeds of crime. As a result, his lawyers succeeded in having all his assets returned. There will probably be a follow-up.
What this motion today is proposing is that all the Peter Cashes of this world will no longer be able to act this way. Once they have been convicted—and this man was indeed convicted for trafficking—their assets will be seized and it will be up to them to prove that those assets were not acquired through the proceeds of crime.
This is not easy. Those who are listening to us do not have to be worried; these criminals know very well that they can be charged with all sorts of things and that people are watching them. So they create companies for themselves and engage in various fiscal practices. That way it becomes quite difficult for the average citizen to know whether other entities, facilities or amounts of money were not in fact moving through non-criminal circuits. It is difficult. Given that the accusers—whether the RCMP, investigators of the Sûreté du Québec or others—must prove their case beyond all doubt, should even the slightest of a reasonable doubt subsist, it is over.
What our colleague is proposing in tabling the Bloc Québécois motion today, a motion which seems to have the support of all the hon. members of the House of Commons, is precisely that this burden of proof be reversed, that it be no longer for the authorities to prove that these people have acquired assets through the proceeds of crime, but just the opposite. It should be for the person charged to prove, on a balance of probabilities, that those assets were not acquired through the proceeds of crime. So that person would have to prove where his money came from.
In the case of the famous Peter Cash, he would have to prove where he got the money to buy his house, his helicopter, his plane, his two boats, his motorcycle and all the other vehicles that passed through that handsome property over the last five years. It would be for him to prove this, otherwise all the assets would be seized and held.
When the Bloc Québécois has succeeded in getting the anti-gang bill passed here in the House, to charge these people and inevitably prove them guilty of gangsterism, the public will stop saying that crime pays and will finally be able to say that crime will not pay, ever again.