Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-223, which was brought forward by the member for Hamilton Mountain. I think everyone recognizes that the safety of our children and our grandchildren is paramount. My wife and I have four beautiful granddaughters, and I can attest that their parents would do anything within their means to protect them from danger, and my wife and I would stand there with them.
It is instinctive and natural to protect our young. We see it in the animal kingdom. There are bears that come into my backyard and neighbourhood regularly, and no one wants to face a mother bear with her cubs. This is true even with birds, which will protect their nest. It is natural for a society to want to protect its young people, and it is really important.
One thing Canadians from coast to coast agree on is that they have felt less safe and less protected over the past 10 years. Why do they feel less safe? It is because they actually are less safe. Do not take my word for it; look at Statistics Canada. Since the Liberals have come into power, violent crime is up 54%. Extortion has skyrocketed 330% across our nation and actually 582% in British Columbia.
Sexual assaults have gone up 75%, and on the topic of children, sexual violations against children are up 249% in 10 years. People can go to the Statistics Canada website to see this. In British Columbia, for which I am a member of Parliament, it has gone up 400%. This is crazy, out of control and terrible.
There is no doubt that public safety under the Liberal government is a glaring failure. The streets Canadians walk on are less and less safe. The statistics I just mentioned, and anybody can look up those numbers, represent hundreds of thousands, even millions, of Canadians. These are not just numbers but are families, victims and children.
Auto thefts, break-ins and assaults are becoming increasingly regular occurrences. A few years ago I was talking with the agent of an insurance company who said that my neighbourhood was quite safe. I thought that was great, because it impacts insurance rates. In the past year or two, I have been surprised by how many of my neighbours have come to me wanting to see what my security cameras have shown, because of activities that have happened. Recently, and I was not able to get the car's licence plate number, there was a car parked outside with guys in it wearing masks over their faces. They committed a break-in.
This is the experience we are facing across our nation, and it is not good. Why has this been happening? It is because the Liberal government has systematically weakened our justice system. It has prioritized ideological policies over the safety of law-abiding citizens. It has eliminated mandatory jail time for serious offences and has effectively made it easier for repeat offenders to roam free, terrorizing communities.
In Vancouver, the same 40 individuals were apprehended 5,000 times in one year, and that is just for the crimes they were caught for. I have talked to police officers who tell me how frustrating it is to arrest someone and to see them out later that day or the next day, roaming the streets again. They have asked, “What is the use?” It is not their fault at all. They are doing their job, but the legislation has made it so that they have to release criminals under the least onerous conditions.
The reckless Liberal approach has left families feeling vulnerable in their own neighbourhood and unsure if their home or their children are safe.
The Liberals' approach to justice is not just misguided; it is dangerous. lt puts the rights of criminals ahead of those of victims and communities, eroding trust in our institutions. Their bail, not jail policies have been like a bullhorn, blasting out to offenders that consequences are optional, that they can go ahead and roam our streets. If they want to steal or do this or that, it is a free-for-all. This is not the Canada I knew growing up, and it is not the Canada it should be right now.