Lost her last election, in 2006, with 39% of the vote.
Young Offenders May 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I presume the hon. member knows that under the existing Young Offenders Act, of which they speak so much, it is possible to seek transfer of a 14 year old to adult court. In the province of Quebec they transfer more young people to adult court than almost any other province.
Young Offenders May 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, let me reassure the House that there is no provision for parole in the new youth justice legislation.
However, if that which the hon. member is complaining about is the fact that young people after serving all or some part of their sentence receive supervision in the community, I can only say that I profoundly disagree with the hon. member. I think that is a positive thing and will help with the quick reintegration of young offenders back into society.
Young Offenders May 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, let me say again that I think some of that which the leader of the Bloc has said is a misrepresentation of that which appears in the youth criminal justice legislation.
One of the guiding principles of our new legislation is the particular circumstances in which the young person finds himself or herself.
Young Offenders May 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in the House, one of the principles on which our new youth justice legislation is based is flexibility.
I have said over and over again that they will be able to continue, enhance and build upon those policies and programs in Quebec. On top of that we will provide them with more resources to do it.
Division No. 103 May 28th, 2001
moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in.
Justice May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I think everybody in the House has been disturbed by what we have seen in relation to Mrs. Dillman and her two children. However, I hope the hon. member understands that it would be inappropriate for me or any member of the government to interfere with an order of the court.
Mr. Justice Foster's decision on Friday in relation to this question indicated that there were appropriate avenues of appeal available to Mrs. Dillman. Mr. Justice Foster went on to indicate that Mrs. Dillman had unfortunately signed an undertaking that any appeals in relation to custody and access would be heard in Saskatchewan.
Young Offenders May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely no necessity to indicate anything directly in the bill.
As we have said throughout, the bill is sufficiently flexible to permit Quebec or any other province to work in relation to locally based strategies and approaches. Therefore, it is unnecessary to put any particular section in the legislation.
Justice May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is probably aware, the government made amendments to section 745 in 1997 to ensure that it would only be used in exceptional circumstances.
For example, we introduced a screening mechanism whereby a superior court judge could screen out applications that had no reasonable prospect of success. We also have a new requirement that the jury considering an application must be unanimous.
We have acted to ensure that section 745 is used in only exceptional circumstances.
Justice May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe what I am hearing from the hon. member in the opposition.
The government has done more in the area of domestic violence and for the protection of victims. In fact, my predecessor introduced amendments to section 745 of the criminal code to ensure that its application takes place only in extraordinary circumstances.
Justice May 28th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I would hope the hon. member is not suggesting that the existing young offenders legislation has worked for aboriginal youth. This is a country that incarcerates more young people than any other western democracy. Unfortunately a great many of those young people are aboriginal youth.
We have to do better. We are willing to work with our aboriginal communities to ensure less aboriginal young people end up in the jails of the country.