Phil McColeman

[Brantford Red Sox, October 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Brantford celebrates and baseball reigns supreme after the hometown Red Sox captured their third consecutive Intercounty Baseball League Championship.

Red Sox owner and president, Paul Aucoin, has built a powerhouse team and first-class organization: on the field, “The Boys of Summer”, Forman, Cho, McCurdy, Delfino, Meyers and their teammates; off the field, Hannam, Tolhurst, Munro and an army of dedicated volunteers; and in the stands, loyal, cheering fans, including Mary Lowes, hanging on every pitch, every hit and every stolen base. This is the portrait of a wonderful summer night under the lights at Arnold Anderson Stadium.

Today, we salute Paul, the Red Sox and the rich tradition of baseball in Brantford. Go Sox go.

[Firearms Registry, September 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the coalition voted to keep the long gun registry.

We know that the registry does nothing to prevent crime and that it is wasteful and ineffective. This party does not believe in treating law-abiding farmers and hunters as criminals.

Would the Minister of Public Safety update the House on our efforts to scrap the long gun registry?

[Firearms Registry, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal, NDP and Bloc coalition voted to keep the long gun registry. Twenty coalition MPs originally supported the simple and straightforward bill to scrap the long gun registry, but under pressure from their Ottawa bosses, they turned their backs on their constituents and voted to keep the registry.

One of those flip-floppers, the member for Malpeque, campaigned on his clear opposition to the long gun registry. Just last year he stated, “I favour a gun control system, but I do not favour a gun control system that makes criminals out of farmers and hunters”. Instead of standing with his constituents, he listened to his Toronto leader and voted to keep the wasteful long gun registry. The voters of Malpeque will remember.

On this side of the House, we do not believe in treating law-abiding hunters, farmers and sports shooters as criminals and we will continue to work to scrap the $2 billion wasteful registry.

[International Transfer of Offenders Act, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, let us state that it does work well; I totally agree, but it could be better. It could be better so that we can catch some of the most heinous people and give discretion and make reference to public safety, to the fact that the minister can have that discretion to ask whether a person truly has been rehabilitated, whether that person, in his or her circumstance has taken proper rehabilitation to integrate back into society.

As the member shakes his head, I suppose he would prefer that that not be taken into consideration. Instead he would rather just assume that all people who are released are rehabilitated. It is often not the case. People often reoffend. It is working but it could be better.

[International Transfer of Offenders Act, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I do thank the hon. member for his comments; however, I must take issue with him on a couple of them.

Number one is with regard to his comments about government members voting as we did last night to abolish the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry. Members on the public safety committee heard testimony after testimony, not only from victims, but also police officers. When the member makes a carte blanche statement that police officers in this country think that we should continue with the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry, he is absolutely, categorically wrong.

We heard from many front-line police officers that it is not a useful tool for them, that in their training, they walk up to any circumstance thinking that the person behind the door may have a gun, and if they do not, their lives are not secure. The information provided is partial. It is often not accurate and it does not serve a useful purpose to them as front-line police officers. To link our desire for better legislation to deal with gun control vis-à-vis proper licensing is absolutely false.

If he has the time, I would invite him to come to the public safety committee and listen to some of the testimony of victims, people who have children who have been abused sexually by people who are back on the streets because there was no discretion to keep them off the streets.

[International Transfer of Offenders Act, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague mentioned, he and I serve on the public safety committee.

As he and everyone in the House knows, our government's agenda has been about protecting victims. For far too long, Liberals have put criminals first. Our Conservative government will put the rights of victims first. We will continue to do that. We will ensure that Canadians, their families and children, are safe and secure in their communities. And at the same time, that offenders are held accountable for their actions, not only in Canada but abroad.

Criminals serving time in other countries may apply for a transfer to Canada, as many do, to serve out the remainder of their sentences, but there are unique factors often involving the sexual exploitation of children. These are various. We heard examples of stories at committee and the tracking of individuals.

It is a system that is not perfect and often these individuals do make it back into our society when they should not be allowed back. There are special extenuating circumstances. I thank the member for his involvement in making sure we bring in legislation that addresses these.

[International Transfer of Offenders Act, September 23rd, 2010]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I did see the newspaper article. As I understand it, a review of the decision of the Federal Court is currently underway, and as such, it is inappropriate that any comments be made on this particular case.

Last spring the Minister of Public Safety tabled in this House legislative amendments to the International Transfer of Offenders Act. Our Conservative government brought this legislation forward because we know that Canadians want a corrections system that protects the safety of victims and law-abiding Canadians. This act would ensure the protection of our society is given paramount consideration when assessing requests for the transfer of international offenders. I call on the opposition to support this worthwhile public safety amendment.

[International Transfer of Offenders Act, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise today in support of Bill C-5 which, as its short title suggests, will do a lot to keep Canadians safe and ensure that our streets and communities are better and safer places for everyone.

This, of course, has been one of our government's top priorities since first elected in 2006 and remains so today.

Our 2010 Speech from the Throne commits our government, among other things, to ensuring that Canada remains the best place in the world to raise a family and to stand up for those who are building our great country. It commits us to ensuring that the law protects everyone and to ensure that those who commit crimes are held to account.

Canadians want a justice system that delivers justice and we know that we can protect ourselves without compromising the values that define our country. Specifically, it notes that for many Canadians there can be no greater accomplishment than to provide for their children, to contribute to the local community, and to live in a safe and secure country.

Our government shares and supports these aspirations which is why we have taken action on the economy and on many other fronts including cracking down on crime. In particular, we have introduced several measures to crack down on violent gun crimes.

Thanks to our government, a killing linked to organized crime for example will now mean an automatic charge of first degree murder.

We have also passed legislation that addresses drive-by shootings and other intentional shootings while offering more protection to police and peace officers.

This government has also passed laws that limit the amount of credit given for time spent in pre-sentence custody ensuring that offenders serve sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes.

Most recently, our government introduced legislation to strengthen the national sex offender registry and the national DNA data bank. These measures will provide additional protection for our children from abuse and exploitation.

We have done a lot already to deliver on our commitment to Canadians and to make our streets and communities safer.

The legislation before us today builds on this impressive track record by, among other things, recognizing that one of the key purposes of the International Transfer of Offenders Act is to protect the safety and security of Canadians. The bottom line, as I mentioned, is that Canadians want a justice system that works. They want a corrections system that treats offenders fairly but they also want a corrections system that considers the rights of victims and law-abiding Canadians.

That is what the proposed amendments our government has introduced will do. The legislation which our government has introduced recognizes that public safety considerations are at the centre of all offender transfer requests. It will help to protect victims by stipulating in legislation that the minister may also consider whether the transfer of an offender will endanger the safety of a victim. It will help to protect the safety and security of family members and children by again stipulating in legislation that the minister may consider whether a transfer will endanger the safety of a family member or a child.

As well, the legislation which our government has introduced will stipulate that other considerations such as whether an offender has participated in a rehabilitation program may be considered in assessing offender requests for a transfer to Canada. This is not specifically stipulated in the legislation today.

Today the minister is required to consider a number of factors when assessing requests for a transfers but nowhere is there any mention of public safety, nor is there any mention of victims or families or of keeping children safe. These are serious omissions. That is why Bill C-5 is so important.

The legislation which our government has introduced would make it clear that the minister can take into account whether the transfer of an offender might endanger the safety of a victim, such as a child in those cases where the offender has been convicted of sexual abuse involving a child.

Our legislation also makes it clear that the minister would also be able to take into account whether a transfer might endanger the safety of a family member.

It also stipulates that the minister would be able to consider whether the offender has accepted responsibility for the offence or whether he or she will engage in subsequent criminal activity upon re-entry into Canada.

As we have heard, these considerations should surely help to guide decisions about whether to grant requests for a transfer from offenders serving a sentence overseas. But at the moment there is no clear legislative authority for the minister to take them into account. That is what Bill C-5 would change while also giving the minister more flexibility in the decision-making process itself.

Bill C-5 would perhaps, most importantly, ensure that the purpose of the act includes considering public safety as part of the decision-making process in the transfer of offenders.

It, therefore, reflects this government's commitment we have made to Canadians to stand up for victims and to ensure our streets, our homes, and our playgrounds are safer places.

That is what the legislation before us today is all about and it is why I am confident that Bill C-5 has the support of all hon. members.

[Justice, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberal member for Ajax—Pickering once again revealed his agenda when he said that prisoners' rights are a real priority. He is the same member who delayed the vote on the bill to end the wasteful long gun registry and who refused to support a bill that would ensure that one of the country's most notorious killers does not receive a pardon.

Can the Minister of Public Safety explain to the Liberal public safety critic what it really means to stand up for victims?

[Public Safety, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to show how their party is out of touch with Canadians and farmers. The Liberal members for Ajax—Pickering and Malpeque continue to support the ineffective prison farm system and the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry.

Unlike the Liberals, this government places the rights of law-abiding Canadians above the rights of criminals.

Would the Minister of Public Safety inform the House why the prison farm system and the long gun registry are so ineffective?