moved for leave to introduce Bill C-232, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders).
Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. After 10 years of Liberal soft-on-crime policies and reforms, Canadians are now looking to us to restore common sense to our criminal justice system in Canada. My private member's bill would help do exactly that, and it is a response to concerns raised by not only the constituents in my riding of Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, but also those across the Niagara region and across this country.
On May 29, 2023, Correctional Service Canada downgraded Paul Bernardo from maximum security prison to medium security. This shocking prison transfer should never have happened. This bill would amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to require that inmates who have been found to be dangerous offenders or convicted of more than one first-degree murder be assigned a security classification of maximum and confined in a maximum security penitentiary or area in a penitentiary.
Weak and soft Liberal laws are putting the interest and care of criminals ahead of victims and their loved ones. This must change, and confidence must be restored in Canada's criminal justice and corrections system. My private member's bill is an important part of the solution, and I hope members of all parties can stand together and support this common-sense bill to do what is right.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)