Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Thursday, November 19, 1993, I gave a Member's statement on the issue of the unconstitutionality of a section of the Elections Act which prohibits inmates from voting. Today I would like to take the opportunity to speak on the issue of what I believe legislation should do to remedy this problem.

Mr. Speaker, now is the time for the House to address the issue of inmates voting. The courts have already addressed this issue by ruling that an absolute prohibition is unconstitutional. Mr. Speaker, the honourable Dennis Patterson stated on July 3, 1991, in response to my motion to refer this issue to the courts that we do not need judges to do politicians' work. With all due respect to my learned friend, the judges have done a portion of our work by ruling equivalent legislation unconstitutional. Now is the time for us to finish this job by considering various legislative options.

Mr. Speaker, I do not support the idea that every inmate should have the right to vote. Voting is a precious right in a democratic society. It is not a right which should be automatic to every citizen. The right to vote should also not be automatically or thoughtlessly taken away. The difficulty I have with our current legislation is that it prohibits all inmates from voting, regardless of the length of their jail sentence or the circumstances of their crime. This type of blanket prohibition without thought or rationale is what I, and the Supreme Court of Canada, found offensive.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that inmates convicted of the most serious offence against society and people in society should lose the right to vote. As my learned friend, Brian Lewis, stated on July 3, 1991, once you have broken the conventional laws of our society, you lose your right. I do believe, however, that the laws of the right to vote should only be for the most serious offences. It simply is not possible to compare long-term prison...