Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition on behalf of the members of ATU Local 107 in my hometown of Hamilton and many of their supporters who are users of public transit.
As members will be aware, there has been a big increase in violent assaults against public transit, school bus, para transit and intercity bus workers across Canada. Almost 40% of Canadians bus operators have indicated that they have been physically assaulted in their careers. In 2008 alone, 2,064 assaults were reported by bus operators, an increase of 438 assaults over reported cases from 2007.
Not only are these operators at risk when assaulted, but so too are the passengers who place their faith in the operator to transport them safety to their destinations. An assault on an operator with a vehicle in motion risks the lives of these operators, the passengers and the public in the vicinity of the vehicle. These Canadians provide a valuable service to the Canadian population, and as such, deserve stronger protection under federal law.
The petitioners request that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada amend the Criminal Code to recognize the growing incidence of violence against public transit, school bus, para transit and intercity transit operators, affecting their safety and that of the travelling public in Canada, in the same fashion that peace officers are recognized in the code.