Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today we are honoured by the visit of the Honourable Allan Rock, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. I think it is an appropriate opportunity to give our viewpoints of the present state of the Canadian justice system.

Four recent rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada have provoked criticisms by places, by victims' organizations, by many politicians and much of the public. The High Court has put so much emphasis on the right of the accused, that the rights of victims and the rights of society at large are being diminished.

I think Members are aware of these four particular cases. I will go through them quickly. One of the cases was that extreme drunkenness might sometimes be used against sexual assault charges. The second decision was one where suspected drunk drivers don't have to take a breathalyser test unless they are given a chance to contact their lawyer first. The third example is DNA evidence linking the accused to the rape of an elderly woman couldn't be used because the police did not follow the proper procedures. And, I just read in the newspaper that last Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that a man who stabbed his wife and killed her by smashing her against a sidewalk curb will get his third chance to argue that he should be acquitted because he was sleep-walking.

Although some legal experts have minimized the actual impact of these rulings on the justice system, at the very least, a strong symbolic message has been sent out to present and future violent offenders that our legal system remains very user-friendly to them. It seems to me, anyhow, that the Canadian justice system is in danger of losing relevance and credibility as it struggles to deal with the harsh realities of violent crimes in today's context with a philosophy of laws and procedures more appropriate to a gentler past era.

Although there is no doubt that intense media coverage of violent crimes often inflames and exaggerates public fears, the fact remains that the face of crime is getting uglier and more chilling .

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.