Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, various provinces have carriage of Criminal Code offences and different provinces take somewhat different approaches. Bill C-9 is providing direction that when someone is convicted of a serious offence under the Criminal Code, has victimized another Canadian, we as a government and as a society are taking that seriously and people who commit a serious offence will be serving time in prison and not in the community.
This bill deals with the most serious of drug offences, including the production and trafficking of drugs like cocaine. It sends the message that those who engage in those activities will be serving a sentence in prison.