Allan Rock

[Young Offenders Act, June 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that a relative handful of crimes each year for which there are convictions in youth courts involve serious crimes of violence or homicides. The vast majority of crime among young people is non-violent, either property related or crimes of theft.

The provisions to which the hon. member refers are intended to ensure that when young people make a mistake of that character, yes they are punished and yes they have learned a lesson, but they are not through the publication of their names in the media stigmatized for life, prevented from completing their education or from gaining employment. Surely that is in the public interest in this country.

[Young Offenders Act, June 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will know that the juvenile justice system in Canada was developed through many years and was provided for in a statute in 1984 which had the support of all parties in this House when the Young Offenders Act was enacted.

The underlying principle is that the distinctions to which the hon. member has referred are appropriate when we are dealing with youth who have their lives in front of them, who are particularly appropriate for rehabilitation efforts.

At the same time, as we undertook to do last year when we campaigned for office, we have now introduced in Bill C-37 proposals for specific amendments to strengthen that statute, to deal with 16 and 17 year olds who commit the crimes of most serious violence in a particular way that will presume they are to be tried in adult court, to share the information with school boards, principals of schools and members of the community when there are young offenders who are accused or suspected of crimes that might endanger the public safety, and make a variety of other changes including increasing the maximum sentence for murder.

This government with those proposed changes in my respectful view has proposed to strengthen the Young Offenders Act while preserving the main elements of juvenile justice.

[Gun Control, June 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it is implicit in the hon. member's question that the government intends to look at just one and not all aspects of this issue.

Indeed we have already started to examine specific aspects of the smuggling issue. We do intend to address it effectively and with concrete action but that is only one aspect. It is not only smuggling guns. It is also people with criminal intent stealing weapons from those who lawfully own them in Canada that is a threat to the safety of our communities.

[Gun Control, June 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I rely on press reports in pointing out that the weapon used in the crime was a handgun.

The indications as I said earlier at least preliminary are that the handgun was initially purchased by a person with lawful intent who registered it according to the law, had it in a residence from which it was stolen.

I invite the hon. member to observe with me the logical connection between the presence of that handgun in a community from which it was taken by someone with criminal intent and the fact that it wound up allegedly being used in the commission of a murderous crime. The connection is quite obvious.

[Gun Control, June 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, let me say two things. First of all we were elected last year on a platform which did not include the restoration of capital punishment.

As recently as seven years ago the House debated capital punishment at length and on a free vote decided it should not be restored. That is the first observation.

Second, the hon. member speaks of consistency. I would ask him to be consistent. He has referred to the tragic case of last Thursday in which a police officer was shot to death. Preliminary indications are that the weapon used in that murder was a hand gun that was stolen from someone who owned it lawfully and had it registered. Now if that is not further indication of the need for gun control, I would like to hear what is.

[Gun Control, June 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, no part of the government's justice agenda is determined or established by public opinion polls.

Our focus during the six months that Parliament has been in session has been in fulfilling the undertakings we made during the campaign by introducing legislation to strengthen the Young Offenders Act, by strengthening the sentencing laws and by

introducing last week a bill that included literally 100 amendments to the Criminal Code to improve and modernize it.

The hon. member raises the question of capital punishment. We ran for election last year on a very specific platform in justice matters. This government, instead of looking at polls as suggested by the hon. member, is concentrating on fulfilling those commitments.

[Gun Control, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the approach which we take for safe homes and safe streets will be comprehensive dealing with the causes of crime, dealing with strengthening the criminal justice system and dealing as well with crime prevention.

The facts show that after the introduction of gun control legislation in 1976, indeed the criminal misuse of weapons did diminish and that is the statistical fact.

We are going to devise, we are going to introduce, we are going to develop with the support of caucus proposals for further regulation of firearms that will make this society even safer. That is only part of the comprehensive agenda of this government with respect to crime and violence in Canada.

[Gun Control, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would be delighted. I should first observe that the hon. member has demonstrated that if we give him enough rope he will hang himself.

[Criminal Code, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the government has under consideration a wide variety of options which have been developed through caucus to be brought forward in the form of specific proposals. These will be intended and will be fashioned to deal with the criminal use of firearms. They will involve regulation of firearms that will respect the legitimate use of rifles by hunters and by farmers.

[Criminal Code, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the communications I have had with the provinces are those I have described. I have written to my provincial and territorial counterparts and have drawn their attention to the fact that section 85(1) is there to deal with a problem of broad concern, which is the use of firearms in the commission of offences.

I have encouraged them to see that that section is used when the facts permit and that plea arrangements are not entered into which result in such charges being dropped in appropriate cases.