Thank you, Mr. Campbell.
Mr. Sauvé, you spoke about the need to potentially increase sentencing provisions for young offenders. One thing that really stands out in the last few years, particularly in the realm of gang violence, is the prevalence of youth participation. Of course, if a teenager breaks into a vending machine, none of us wants them embroiled in the correctional framework. However, if a young offender commits a second-degree murder, their custodial sentence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act cannot exceed four years. When you factor in pretrial custody time, young offenders convicted of murder are remanded to very little, if any, post-trial custody time.
Could you please offer some recommendations with respect to reforming the sentencing provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act to help mitigate some of the gun- and gang-related violence committed by young offenders?