Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Nova Scotia and people throughout the Maritimes were shocked that yesterday Herbert John Hawkins, the brutal murderer of the beloved Cape Breton musician Shelly Boutilier, was granted leave.
Victims do not think it is right that convicted murderers are released into their safe communities, and our Conservative government agrees.
We believe that to keep our streets and communities safe, dangerous criminals should be kept behind bars where they belong. Our government has taken several measures to ensure that the rights of victims always come first.
We will soon bring forward legislation, the victims' bill of rights, to ensure that the rights of victims are always respected first and foremost.
Shelly did not get a second chance when he was brutally murdered and neither should his murderer. We will ensure that victims have a stronger say in our justice system so decisions like this will never be made again.