Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to speak in favour of Bill C-45, an act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. Today many Canadians who have been victimized by crime appeared on Parliament Hill to voice their feelings and frustrations. Bill C-45 is proof that the Liberal government has not forgotten them. The bill's intention is to make our streets and homes safer. While a strong justice system is vital in holding offenders accountable for their actions, tougher sentences and penalties are only half the solution.
Prevention is the other half.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, workers at the Bombardier plant in La Pocati re gave their president, Laurent Beaudoin, a lesson in democracy. They will not let their boss tell them how to vote in the referendum. This was not Mr. Beaudoin's first attempt at manipulating his employees to make them vote according to his political convictions. Back in 1992, he wrote his employees a letter stating his support for the Charlottetown Accord. This action was denounced by the chief electoral officer at the time and Mr. Beaudoin was later convicted of violating the Quebec Elections Act.