Justice committee  I know that the rights of the accused have to be taken into account when a bill is considered, but, as I mentioned earlier, we too often forget the victims. They have to bear the consequences of the crime that has been committed for the rest of their lives. I have met people who

Justice committee  I represent Sûreté du Quebec officers; the union. Perhaps someone from the senior management of the Sûreté du Québec participated in the round table.

Justice committee  You must not confuse the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec and the Sûreté du Québec. If anyone participated in that round table, it would be the senior management of the Sûreté du Québec. You are telling me that there was a bill and a round table was o

Justice committee  As police officers, we agree. Given the information that the crown prosecutor has, he can decide that the young person must not go to adult court. But, as I mentioned in my remarks, the role of the police is to protect society. Unfortunately, as you have very rightly pointed out

Justice committee  Not about Bill C-4.

Justice committee  I am not speaking on behalf of the RCMP. I am speaking—

Justice committee  No, provincial police officers did not participate in that round table; at least, I did not, as the president of the association.

Justice committee  Maybe the Sûreté du Québec did, but not the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec. I represent the union.

Justice committee  I am not saying that it would be harder to get a conviction. That was a one-of-a-kind case. But how many young people commit serious crimes and are not imprisoned for life, but are released back into the community without their identity being revealed, and then reoffend? We shoul

Justice committee  You are right, Mr. Petit. Too often, we have been in court on cases where there were no records, because we were dealing with a minor. That is when they reoffend. Young people do not generally read up on the law, but when they are in front of a judge, they know that they will be

Justice committee  We still have to meet the burden of proof. We work with the crown prosecutor. With those of the age of majority, we always provide what we call the “plumitif”, the record of criminal offences. We can tell the prosecutor that this is the fourth time that an individual has been arr

Justice committee  If I had children and found that a young person living two blocks from me had committed a serious sexual offence—this is always about serious crimes—there would be a need to make the neighbourhood safe. Too often, people like that are released quickly, get back into society and l

Justice committee  Yes, I do, I know that a young person of that name lost his life in a neighbourhood in Laval because of a group of young people. I have met his parents too. That is why the bill is called Sébastien's Law.

Justice committee  Yes.

Justice committee  Yes.