Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act  Mr. Speaker, it is our experience that victims are in great need. Sometimes the effects of criminality will last a lifetime. There are many different types of programs that can be of assistance. All of these programs that are available are doing good work and we want to ensure th

Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act  Mr. Speaker, that is the whole idea behind the fine option program. Where a judge has the discretion to determine that there is undue hardship on offenders or their depends, if a judge finds that to be the case, then the offenders will be given the opportunity to work for credits

Enhancing RCMP Accountability Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that last night Bill C-42, the enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police accountability act, passed second reading. This bill would give the RCMP the tools it needs to enhance trust and restore accountability in its ranks. The positive response to

Abortion  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's position on this issue has been very clear. The government will not be reopening this debate. Private members' business is just that: private members' business. Our Conservative government is focused on creating jobs, promoting Canadian exports,

Abortion  Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, the Prime Minister's position has been very clear. He has made these statements more than once. Both before this session of Parliament began and during this session of Parliament, he has stood in this place and said that the government will not be

Child Pornography  Mr. Speaker, today marks the 10th anniversary of Cybertip.ca, a website operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. On behalf of the government, I offer congratulations and personally thank it for all the work it is doing to protect children from online sexual exploita

Commissioner for Children and Young Persons in Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in the debate on Bill C-420, An Act to establish the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young Persons in Canada. This bill was introduced by the member for Westmount—Ville-Marie in May 2012. I reviewed Bill C-420, and after a th

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, our government attaches great importance and urgency to addressing the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the grieving families. We have invested significant resources and law enforcement tools needed to locate missin

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the NDP just is not paying attention because we have been taking that action. We are taking action to crack down on murderers who prey on women. It is the NDP that is standing in our way. This government introduced and passed legislation to repeal the faint hope cla

Homosexuality  Mr. Speaker, I believe the member opposite is referring to some recent comments on private member's Bill C-279. Our government is proud of the fact that Canada is recognized internationally as a country that is deeply committed to the principles of respect for diversity and equa

Combating Terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in the second reading debate of Bill S-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act and the Security of Information Act. This bill, among other things, seeks to re-enact the investigative hearing and recognizance with con

Combating Terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, last fall the Prime Minister signalled the government's intention to make efforts to re-enact the investigative hearing and recognizance with conditions provisions. They ceased to exist in 2007 and our government has been trying ever since to reinstate them. The inve

Combating Terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, there were several recommendations made by both the House of Commons and Senate committees in relation to this matter, recommendations that have been incorporated into the bill. Some of those recommendations by the House of Commons subcommittee include both provision

Bullying  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a very serious topic that affects the most vulnerable Canadians, our children. Bullying is not a right of passage; it should not be considered a part of growing up. It is a serious issue and it can reach the level of criminal activity. My th

Nuclear Terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in the second reading debate on Bill S-9, the nuclear terrorism act. I will begin my remarks by drawing attention to the words of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University in its 2011 report entitled, “T