Mr. Speaker, I wish I could say I am happy to participate in this debate today, so I will rephrase it. I am grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this debate today because there have been a lot of incredibly horrendous things happening in my community over the last couple of weeks.
Yesterday, I asked the Minister of Justice when legislation would be brought in to stop repeat sex offenders from being released into the community. I made reference to the case of Daniel Senecal, who currently lives in the city I live in. He sexually assaulted a three-year-old toddler in the most vile way. He had recently been released after being sentenced to prison for the assault on a 12-year-old boy.
I would ask members to forgive me if I get a little emotional because it is tearing my community apart. The street on which this crime happened is the street I practically grew up on. My grandparents lived on that street.
Within hours, the community stepped up. There was a vigil in downtown Welland and hundreds and hundreds of people showed up within hours of this person being arrested. Victims told me their stories about how they had been abused during childhood, or how relatives had been abducted, and about the pain, anguish and scars they have carried with them all their lives. They pleaded with me to come to this place, stand on this floor and talk about this issue. Municipal leaders also stepped up by asking the federal government to change the Criminal Code for violent offenders.
A few days later, the annual firefighter memorial was held in Ottawa. The chief, deputy chief and a number of people from the Welland Fire and Emergency Services came to Ottawa for that ceremony. Among them was my son, who is a firefighter in Welland, and the two first firefighters to be on scene of that horrific crime. I brought all of them to the floor of the House of Commons, and we stood in front of the mace for at least an hour. They all told me about their experiences, including the two who were first on scene of this horrific crime. It is hard to describe the emotions they felt, but after coming to this place, they talked about the need to change the Criminal Code to keep repeat violent sex offenders in jail.
I should mention that I am splitting my time with the member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.
The firefighters who came to Ottawa really appreciated the opportunity to stand on the floor of the House of Commons, where we pass laws. All of them asked that I urge the government to introduce changes immediately. The Minister of Justice said the government is going to be introducing changes some time in the fall. Why do we have to wait until the fall? It is not like we do not know what needs to happen right now.
Someone came to my constituency office a couple of weeks ago. One of the responding officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service, whom I had known as a customer of one of my businesses, came to my office. He is a relatively new constable with the NRP. I asked him what he is finding on the streets, if there are a lot of repeat offenders and if he is arresting the same person over and over again, as we have been hearing across the country. He said that I have no idea how many times he has arrested the same person over and over again.
The officer said within a two-month period, one person who had been arrested and released on a promise to appear was arrested 30 times for car theft, break and enter, and assault. This guy had been charged with everything. On a promise to appear, he was released back into the public. The officer also said that oftentimes, they do not even bother arresting people anymore because they know it is simply catch-and-release. That has got to stop in this country. We are better than that.
The violent criminals play the system. There is no reason this individual, Daniel Senecal, should have been released six months early on a year-and-a-half sentence after violently sexually assaulting a young boy and then, within months, violently beating a little girl in Welland within an inch of her life.
Our communities are under siege, and I am not exaggerating about this. My leader pointed out the changes in our country, the statistics and how things have changed in Canada over the last number of years. It is not a slogan to say that the government has been soft on crime. Much of the changes that we have seen and many of the criminals being released have been released through changes over the last 10 years.
The Conservatives are advocating for serious changes to the Criminal Code so we do not have catch and release. These violent criminals need to stay in jail and, as my leader said, we should throw away the key. That is what the public is asking us to do. We have a responsibility in the House to represent the interests of our constituents. I would urge the government to not wait until the fall, but to introduce this legislation.
I agree with the Minister of Justice. We do not have to make this a partisan issue. We need to put these criminals behind bars, not let them on the street and not let them reoffend for the sake of little E., the three-year-old toddler in the city of Welland. Give her some hope. Give her family some hope. Give my community some hope. Give our country some hope that vile, abhorrent, despicable human beings like Daniel Senecal will never see the light of day again.
That is my message today, and I am grateful to my community members for sending me here. I will be presenting a petition on their behalf. They are going door to door now. That is how many people have stepped up. This is not a partisan thing. People have shown up at my constituency office for this petition asking the federal government to change the Criminal Code.
Right now, my guess is that we are going to hit about 100,000 signatures. That is an amazing demonstration of democracy in action. People in my community want to see change, and I am hoping to present that petition to the floor of the House of Commons in the next week.