Madam Speaker, what a treat. I thought I had only two minutes to speak.
We are talking about crime and rehabilitation. There are different ways to look at prison sentences for criminals, those who have committed a crime. The first is to see them as a way of telling the person that they need to understand the seriousness of what they did, that they are “going to pay”, that they will not have an easy time in jail, and that, afterward, they are going to have to think about what they did so they do not do it again. From that perspective, the individual is not getting any support. It could even be said that there is a desire for the person to suffer. That approach does not work. That approach does not help in rehabilitating offenders.
We in the Bloc Québécois believe in rehabilitation. For anyone who believes in rehabilitation, the constructive approach is to guide the individual toward a more positive life. Awareness and recognition come first, and then the individual's current circumstances must be generally assessed. Where is this person at? What led them to commit the crime? It might be easy to dismiss the individual as just a thief, but there is a family background and socio-economic context to consider. Often, people who commit violent acts were themselves victims of repeated violence as children, and so on. We need to understand, support and empower these folks. Training and rehabilitation programs significantly increase the chances of successful reintegration into society. The research is very clear on this point.
In that sense, the bill we are discussing today seems positive at first glance. Of course, we will vote in favour of the bill in principle at second reading, as my colleague from La Pointe-de-l'Île said earlier. We are prepared to do serious and rigorous work in committee to ensure that the measures taken are effective and yield positive results. When someone can be rehabilitated, and we can prevent that person from reoffending, it is not just that person who benefits, it is society as a whole.
I think my time is up. It is a pleasure to wrap up our work week. I wish all my colleagues a good weekend.