Most critics are unable to point to any section of the Act that they find objectionable. Children under 12 CAN be prosecuted for criminal activity. The applicable legislation, however, is provincial not federal. Ask critics if they would like to see under 12 year olds prosecuted using a JDA model. Then tell them we already have it in Ontario.
Serious crime is exceedingly rare.
In 21 years of prosecuting and defending in Mississauga, Ontario I have never acted on a murder. Serious crimes are already presumed transferred to the adult system under the existing law. Most young persons do not understand their legal rights. Police criticism of the statement taking provisions of the YOA may be a cover-up for sloppy police work. In my jurisdiction, defence attacks on police statement-taking practices resulted, over several years, in much improvement resulting in significantly less defence attacks.