Mr. Speaker, I can give my colleague the following very simple answer. My colleague has just provided the evidence that this is the wrong message. Yes, there may have been a rise in the number of homicides, but that is not what Bill C-9 is about. With all due respect for my colleague, Bill C-9 is about sentences of less than 10 years. Someone who is convicted of homicide is given life in prison, depending, of course, on whether it was manslaughter. In the situation we are addressing, Bill C-9 does not address that kind of crime. That is what I was saying.
I would also add that for nearly a decade, from 1996 to 2004, I had the opportunity to argue, and to become familiar with, a lot of cases, and I have seen my clients trying to deal with conditional sentences of imprisonment. I can tell my colleague that at present, someone who does not comply with each and every one of the conditions of his or her release or conditional sentence will be returned to prison and will serve the entire remainder of the sentence without possibility of parole. That is a considerable hardship.
I would therefore advise my colleague to be careful about some of the things being said. We have to look at the numbers. I would also say that conditional sentences of imprisonment are often very difficult to serve. Sometimes, I even told my clients to reject the Crown’s offer of a conditional sentence because they would be unable to comply with the conditions. Just try abiding by an order that you abstain from consuming alcohol at home—give me a call if it works. For example, I told one of my alcoholic clients who was being sent home under a conditional sentence with an order that he abstain from drinking that it would be preferable not to agree to it, and to serve his time.
What I said, and I will reiterate, is that we must continue to tailor sentences to the individual, and not switch into a repressive mode, which is what Bill C-9 is preparing to do.