Mr. Speaker, I further ask that you see the clock at 5:30 p.m.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 57% of the vote.
Fairness for the Self-Employed Act November 5th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I further ask that you see the clock at 5:30 p.m.
Fairness for the Self-Employed Act November 5th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it, you would find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move:
That, notwithstanding Standing Order 33(2), government orders shall conclude today at 5:30 p.m.
Business of Supply November 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, if you were to seek it, I think you would find unanimous support for the amendment.
Business of the House November 2nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties. I move:
That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, during the debate tonight pursuant to Standing Order 52, no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.
Retribution on Behalf of Victims of White Collar Crime Act October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, our government addresses these issues in a wide range of areas, including tax law. However, in this case, we are talking about Bill C-52.
As I said, there are substantial improvements in this bill on the matter of fraud. There are some egregious cases of fraud going on in Canada and some famous ones going on throughout the world. This would help in bringing the fraudsters to justice.
Retribution on Behalf of Victims of White Collar Crime Act October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the victim impact statement is a very important part of the bill. In too many cases in criminal law, the victims are forgotten and there are no consequences. Having a victim impact statement in the case of large-scale fraud would allow the courts to understand the impact on an individual or a community of the stated fraud. It would affect the judge's determination on what the punishment should be.
Retribution on Behalf of Victims of White Collar Crime Act October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, when we make a decision about what is large-scale fraud, we must have some minimum number. In the judgment of our government, $1 million, which is a substantial amount of money and more money than I have ever seen, is a serious fraud.
Retribution on Behalf of Victims of White Collar Crime Act October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I cannot accept the premise from the hon. member.
The bill does add many things to the issue of fraud. We are putting in a minimum sentence for people who are guilty of fraud over $1 million. We are now indicating more aggravating factors, and we are also indicating that judges might take into account these aggravating factors. We are also bringing in prohibition orders and community impact statements. We believe this will have a substantial effect on fraud.
Retribution on Behalf of Victims of White Collar Crime Act October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, to address the issue, it is our government's contention that if a person carries out a fraud of $1 million or more, the minimum sentence is two years. We believe that is a reasonable benchmark. We are saying basically that if it is $1 million or so, the punishment will be two years. If it is many more millions, the punishment will be greater. In our judgment a two year minimum is satisfactory.
Retribution on Behalf of Victims of White Collar Crime Act October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the matter of the minimum two year sentencing is justifiable in the case of fraud over $1 million. As somebody said yesterday, we have great respect for our judges, but our judges are bound by the system. They are also bound by precedents. At this moment, I cannot pull out an example of somebody who has been found guilty of fraud over $1 million who has received less than a two year sentence, but I am pretty darned certain that if I spend a few minutes, I could find many examples.