Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to make Canadians aware of some very troubling changes the Liberals are proposing in Bill C-75.
The government is essentially watering down very serious criminal charges by adding a possible summary conviction as a crown option. This could result in a penalty as low as a fine for what was an indictable offence with a penalty of up to 10 years. These charges include abduction of a child under the age of 14, material benefit from trafficking, breach of prison, participation in a terrorist group or criminal organization, advocating genocide, arson for fraudulent purposes, and the list goes on.
This is the Liberal answer to the current backlog in the justice system, a crisis created by not appointing the adequate number of judges to the bench.
Canadians know this. When a perpetrator of a serious crime is set free with a mere fine, he or she has not paid the price for that crime.
I call upon the government to finally start putting victims first.