Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2007-05-03 11:15:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Hon. Marlene Jennings",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"589182\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the member's question, I was not rambling on. First, I was giving precise dates for the procedure and tracking of this bill in response to a comment from the parliamentary secretary of the member's own government.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589183\" data-originallang=\"en\">Second, I was also making a point in response to a comment of his own parliamentary secretary on the delay of this bill, in pointing out that the Liberal Party, the official opposition, had on four separate occasions attempted to see this bill in particular, along with others, fast tracked. It was the member's own government that blocked it every single time. It is the first time that I have seen a government blocking speedy passage of its own legislation, but it is up to those members to explain that.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589184\" data-originallang=\"en\">Yes, I believe that Bill <a data-HoCid=\"2304794\" href=\"/bills/39-1/C-22/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code (age of protection) and to make consequential amendments to the Criminal Records Act\">C-22</a>, with this amendment, actually is a good bill. It is a better bill because of the amendment. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589185\" data-originallang=\"en\">We heard expert testimony from justice officials themselves that we are talking about a very small percentage, a handful of those cases every year. In fact, the justice official, Carole Morency, said that according to the justice department projections we would not be talking about more than five individuals under the age of 16 but above the age of 14 who, if this bill came into effect, would find themselves in a situation where we are talking about marriage, and there would be a defence because their legal spouse would be more than five years older. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589186\" data-originallang=\"en\">Because that same expert was able to explain what the conditions are for the solemnization of marriage in each of the 10 provinces and the territories, it reassured members of the committee that there in fact is a very clear legislative process. In most cases, we would be talking about a judge having to give consent to a marriage of that kind of couple, where one partner is under the age of 16, but over 14, and the other partner is more than five years or more older.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589187\" data-originallang=\"en\">Therefore, the opposition parties felt that, given that a judge or a magistrate under the provincial law would have to give formal consent, it meant that the couple would have been considered in regard to whether or not the relationship had been sexually exploitive, et cetera. Therefore, we were comforted by that testimony we heard.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589188\" data-originallang=\"en\">So yes, I think Bill <a data-HoCid=\"2304794\" href=\"/bills/39-1/C-22/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code (age of protection) and to make consequential amendments to the Criminal Records Act\">C-22</a> is a good bill, and that is why the official opposition, the Liberal Party, is supporting it. That is why for months on end we attempted to have it fast tracked. We are thrilled that the bill is finally in the House. We hope the government will stop stalling the speedy passage of its own justice legislation.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"589182\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je sais gr\u00e9 au d\u00e9put\u00e9 de sa question, mais j'affirme que je ne tenais pas un discours d\u00e9cousu. D'abord, je donnais des dates pr\u00e9cises au sujet du d\u00e9roulement de l'\u00e9tude de ce projet de loi, en r\u00e9ponse \u00e0 une observation qu'a faite le secr\u00e9taire parlementaire du gouvernement.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589183\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ensuite, je faisais \u00e9galement valoir un argument en r\u00e9ponse \u00e0 une observation qu'a faite son propre secr\u00e9taire parlementaire au sujet des retards accus\u00e9s dans l'\u00e9tude de ce projet de loi. J'ai dit que le Parti lib\u00e9ral, l'opposition officielle, avait \u00e0 quatre occasions tent\u00e9 de faire adopter rapidement ce projet de loi en particulier, et d'autres. C'est le propre gouvernement du d\u00e9put\u00e9 qui l'a bloqu\u00e9 chaque fois. C'est la premi\u00e8re fois que je vois un gouvernement bloquer l'adoption rapide de son propre projet de loi, mais c'est aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s d'en face qu'il revient d'expliquer pourquoi. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589184\" data-originallang=\"en\">Oui, j'estime que le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"2304794\" href=\"/bills/39-1/C-22/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code (age of protection) and to make consequential amendments to the Criminal Records Act\">C-22</a>, avec cet amendement, est acceptable. L'amendement permet de l'am\u00e9liorer. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589185\" data-originallang=\"en\">Des fonctionnaires du minist\u00e8re de la Justice ont eux-m\u00eames t\u00e9moign\u00e9 que nous parlions d'un tr\u00e8s petit pourcentage de cas chaque ann\u00e9e. En fait, une de ces fonctionnaires, Carole Morency, a affirm\u00e9 que, d'apr\u00e8s les pr\u00e9visions du minist\u00e8re de la Justice, il n'y aurait pas plus de cinq personnes de moins de 16 ans, mais de plus de 14 ans, qui, si ce projet de loi entre en vigueur, se trouveraient dans une situation o\u00f9 elles sont mari\u00e9es et qui pourraient employer l'exception comme moyen de d\u00e9fense parce que leur conjoint de droit est de plus de cinq ans leur a\u00een\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589186\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mme Morency a \u00e9t\u00e9 en mesure d'expliquer les conditions de c\u00e9l\u00e9bration d'un mariage dans l'ensemble des dix provinces et territoires. Cela a rassur\u00e9 les membres du comit\u00e9 de savoir qu'il y avait un processus l\u00e9gislatif tr\u00e8s clair. Dans la majorit\u00e9 des cas, un juge devra donner son consentement pour qu'un couple dont un des partenaires a moins de 16 ans, mais plus de 14 ans, et l'autre est de plus de cinq ans son a\u00een\u00e9 puisse se marier. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589187\" data-originallang=\"en\">Par cons\u00e9quent, les partis d'opposition \u00e9taient d'avis que, puisqu'un juge ou un magistrat sous un r\u00e9gime provincial doit donner son consentement formel, la relation du couple aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 examin\u00e9e afin de d\u00e9terminer, entre autres, s'il y avait exploitation sexuelle. Nous avons donc \u00e9t\u00e9 rassur\u00e9s par le t\u00e9moignage que nous avons entendu.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"589188\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je crois donc que le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"2304794\" href=\"/bills/39-1/C-22/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Criminal Code (age of protection) and to make consequential amendments to the Criminal Records Act\">C-22</a> est un bon projet de loi, et c'est pour cette raison que l'opposition officielle, le Parti lib\u00e9ral, l'appuie. C'est pourquoi nous tentons depuis des mois d'en acc\u00e9l\u00e9rer l'adoption. Nous sommes enchant\u00e9s qu'il se trouve finalement devant la Chambre. Nous esp\u00e9rons que le gouvernement arr\u00eatera de bloquer l'adoption rapide de son propre projet de loi.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2007/5/3/marlene-jennings-2/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/marlene-jennings/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/2702/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2053020",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Criminal Code",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2007/5/3/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2007%2F5%2F3%2F"
    }
}