House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 65% of the vote.
Dangerous Offenders October 28th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, we are talking again about the accountability of the parole board, the bungling of its decisions. Harvey Milne was deemed to be a dangerous offender but this minister's handpicked parole board set him loose so he could again prey on young children.
Canadians need a guarantee that this man will never again make victims of our children. Will the solicitor general move immediately so that repeat violent offenders are locked up for life with no parole?
Dangerous Offenders October 28th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Harvey Milne, who was declared a dangerous offender in 1980 for sex crimes against young boys, was paroled in 1993 because officials deemed him to be rehabilitated. Milne now faces five new charges for sexual offences, apparently again committed against young boys.
It is clear that Milne was and continues to be a sexual predator. He should never have been released. Will the minister hold the parole board accountable for its mistakes?
Elizabeth Roux October 8th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Elisabeth Roux, assisted by her mother, Senator Therese Lavoie-Roux, defrauded the Canadian government of thousands of dollars through unemployment insurance fraud.
The RCMP recommended that Elisabeth Roux be charged because she, by trickery, lies, or other misleading methods, defrauded the Government of Canada of more than $5,000. The justice department has refused to lay charges against the senator or her daughter even though federal employees point to the numerous examples where other Canadians have been prosecuted for UI fraud.
Consequently, by refusing to lay charges, this Liberal regime is sending a message to Canadians that the law applies to everyone unless you are a political friend of the government. In the senator's case she was a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister.
Shame on the justice minister for allowing two tier justice to reign in Canada. Shame on the justice department lawyers who quashed the RCMP charges. Shame on this Liberal government for demonstrating its contempt for the principle that all Canadians are equal before the law. Charge the senator and her daughter.
Criminal Code October 7th, 1996
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-334, an act to amend the Criminal Code (violent crimes or sexual offences).
Mr. Speaker, this private member's bill will send this message to criminals: two violence or sex strikes and you are out.
This legislation directs our courts and judges to automatically order a life sentence for any offender who, on two or more separate occasions, is convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence.
Canadians deserve to feel that they and their families are safe in their homes, at work, at school, on the street and in their communities. In short, Canadians want a country in which we can look to the future instead of over our shoulders.
Consequently this bill is urgently needed to address the unchecked proliferation of high risk violent criminals, pedophiles and sexual predators who cause great harm to our communities.
I urge all hon. members to give this legislation their full and fair consideration.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)
Criminal Code October 4th, 1996
How is it going to work?
Smuggling October 4th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the police in the area and in other areas of this country have been seeking desperately the assistance and support of the federal government and have not been able to obtain such.
This tragic incident demonstrates the government's double standards in enforcing the laws in the nation. The government has made it a priority to arrest, detain, fine and even harass western farmers who want to do nothing more than to sell grain to the United States at the best price they can get. The solicitor general turns a blind eye year after year, even after people have died, from the rampant crime on Akwesasne.
Will the solicitor general commit today to end the double standard, enforce the law equally and send in whatever force necessary to stop the crime at the borders, in other words, do his job?
Smuggling October 4th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the reality is that the police are afraid to patrol the river at night because the criminal activity is a threat to their safety. Organized criminals, drug traffickers and bootleggers are running rampant on Akwesasne and Cornwall Island. Obviously the police on the reserve have been ineffective in doing their jobs.
Canadians are beginning to question if the police there are turning a blind eye to the smuggling and drug running that is going on. If the Akwesasne police will not do their jobs, maybe it is time to send in the RCMP or even the Canadian Armed Forces.
Will the solicitor general send in the RCMP to clean up the mess? Or will he continue to tolerate organized crime and give it free rein on Akwesasne?
Smuggling October 4th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday one person of a group of ten who arrived in Canada from Pakistan died as their boat turned over in choppy waters on the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall en route to the United States.
Yesterday, Akwesasne police and the OPP charged a Canadian man with manslaughter in connection with this botched smuggling attempt. This incident illustrates a well documented problem, namely, the unchecked flow of illegal smuggling through the Akwesasne reserve.
Why has the solicitor general not clamped down on this activity? How many more must die before he takes action?
The Criminal Code October 3rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member's reflections on Bill C-55. He has certain
reservations about the portion of the bill which deals with judicial restraint. The Reform Party also has reservations about that point.
I need a good clear explanation from the member, given that I was a police officer for 22 years prior to this past election, how electronic monitoring would apply to stalkers. I have had to personally answer a number of complaints in that regard as a police officer, and time is quite factor.
I would like to know how it would be applied and how it would be able to save a victim like an individual in my riding, Kelly Howe. Recently a trial was completed where an individual was convicted of the first degree murder of Kelly Howe. How would it save a person like Kelly Howe who was killed by her ex-boyfriend?
The Criminal Code October 3rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member support the present bill. I suppose that for him to criticize the bill in any fashion would be difficult, given that he is from the Liberal side of the House.
I am concerned about this legislation in that when a dangerous offender application is made, it points out that the application must definitely be put forward prior to the imposition of sentence. Therefore there is a window of six months to supply the necessary information to support that application. That is not a very long period, given that maybe an offender, a pedophile for example, could be sentenced to a 10 year stint and there would be no opportunity after to make application for dangerous offender.
In fact, in the legislation a pedophile or a sexual predator is not listed in the area of dangerous offender. I think people seek to have those individuals classified as dangerous offenders. In my opinion that is one very major flaw in this legislation.
The second point that troubles me about Bill C-55 is that once the application is made and there is a conviction for a dangerous offender, the whole process again can be appealed. So now they can go through a course of appeals. I find that difficult to understand when members across talk about getting tough on crime and there is a recourse for appeal and this very narrow window in which to make application for dangerous offender designation and so on.
What is wrong with including pedophiles and sexual predators, which the bill does not address, in that list of Criminal Code offences and automatically seeking the courts to place a dangerous offender finding on anyone who commits on two or more separate occasions an offence constituting a serious personal injury offence?