Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to address an issue of concern with respect to the justice system. The concern I would like to speak about is what the courts sometimes call plea bargaining. I would like to give an example of the outcome of a plea bargaining issue addressed by the Crown prosecutors.
Last summer, Mr. Speaker, my house was broken into here in Yellowknife and two gentlemen were charged. The first fellow was given probation for one year even though the RCMP had his fingerprints on the window. The second fellow, Michael Pritchard, was charged with break and enter and possession of stolen property. There was well over $8000 of personal property stolen. The Crown wanted to avoid a trial and avoid convicting him, therefore, the Crown prosecutors made the deal. One of the young gentlemen got one day in jail, was fined $575 and had to pay a $55 victim of crime charge due to the deal that the Crown prosecutors made. If he had been allowed to go through the courts by being convicted, he would probably have had to pay restitution or possibly even be given a probation order.
Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about plea bargaining. I am concerned about this happening to someone else. I appreciate the efforts that were made by the RCMP, Constable Thalhofer in particular.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to advise the current Minister of Justice to address the issue with respect to the plea bargaining being done in our justice system. In my opinion, plea bargaining and making deals before going through the court system is definitely an injustice to the justice system. Thank you.
---Applause