Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2010-11-23 13:55:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Hon. Dan McTeague",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"2183740\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I mean no disrespect to my colleagues in the NDP who call for criminalization, but it sounds a whole lot as if they have taken the Conservative-Reform agenda, the hang 'em high approach to just about everything.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183741\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is an interesting comparison, but it bears some discussion.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183742\" data-originallang=\"en\">There is a very specific reason why, and the hon. member has alluded to this. There are often small businesses that make mistakes. They may be mistakes that may be repeated. They may be desperate. There are a number of reasons why these things may and can occur. There has to be a modicum of judicial discretion given in those circumstances that does not have a sort of one-size-fits-all approach, to take a howitzer to a very small business.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183743\" data-originallang=\"en\">I can tell the hon. member that I have worked on a number of pieces of legislation where I thought we would use the heavy hand, where we would come at them with everything we had. The reality is that would do nothing to stop the problem, let alone doing undue damage to people who rightfully and unintentionally may have crossed a particular line.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183744\" data-originallang=\"en\">It also speaks to the idea of criminalizing Canadians while, at the same time, allowing international spammers to continue unmolested and beyond the reach of our domestic legislation.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183745\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is for that reason that I think we have to be very careful on how we approach this. I think the sanctions that were envisaged by the industry committee and adopted by all parties including the NDP, on the civil side, did in fact meet the test. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183746\" data-originallang=\"en\">We want to look before we leap. We want to ensure we protect Canadians from Canadian spammers. However, we also have to recognize that some people will make a mistake, and when they do make that mistake, I think it is totally unfair that we should throw the book at them with a criminal sanction. I think we should hit them monetarily because after all that is perhaps the reason that they are in fact engaging in this practice. We should hit them where it hurts, in the pocketbook.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"2183740\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, sans vouloir offenser mes coll\u00e8gues du NPD qui souhaitent une criminalisation de cette activit\u00e9, je dirais qu'ils donnent vraiment l'impression d'avoir adopt\u00e9 le programme des conservateurs r\u00e9formistes, c'est-\u00e0-dire la pendaison pour n'importe quoi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183741\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est une comparaison int\u00e9ressante, mais qui m\u00e9rite r\u00e9flexion.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183742\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il y a une tr\u00e8s bonne raison \u00e0 cette id\u00e9e, et le d\u00e9put\u00e9 y a fait allusion. Il arrive souvent que de petites entreprises fassent des erreurs, des erreurs qui peuvent se r\u00e9p\u00e9ter. Cela peut se faire en d\u00e9sespoir de cause. Ce genre de choses peut arriver pour toutes sortes de raisons. Il faut donc laisser une certaine latitude \u00e0 la justice au lieu d'imposer la m\u00eame r\u00e8gle pour tout le monde, d'ass\u00e9ner un coup de massue sur une toute petite entreprise.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183743\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je peux dire au d\u00e9put\u00e9 que j'ai travaill\u00e9 sur plusieurs lois au moyen desquelles nous pensions frapper les d\u00e9linquants de fa\u00e7on massive et d\u00e9cisive. En r\u00e9alit\u00e9, elles n'ont absolument pas r\u00e9gl\u00e9 le probl\u00e8me, mais elles ont p\u00e9nalis\u00e9 excessivement des gens qui avaient pu enfreindre de bonne foi et involontairement certaines r\u00e8gles.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183744\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il y a aussi le fait qu'on criminaliserait les Canadiens alors que les polluposteurs internationaux pourraient poursuivre leur activit\u00e9 en toute impunit\u00e9, \u00e0 l 'abri de nos lois nationales.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183745\" data-originallang=\"en\">Voil\u00e0 pourquoi j'estime qu'il faut \u00eatre tr\u00e8s prudent ici. Je pense que les sanctions envisag\u00e9es par le Comit\u00e9 de l'industrie et adopt\u00e9es par tous les partis y compris le NPD, sur le plan civil, \u00e9taient raisonnables.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"2183746\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il faut r\u00e9fl\u00e9chir avant de sauter. Nous voulons prot\u00e9ger les Canadiens des polluposteurs canadiens, mais il faut aussi bien comprendre qu'il arrive que certaines personnes fassent une erreur, et qu'il est injuste \u00e0 mon avis de leur infliger une sanction p\u00e9nale dans ce cas. Je pense que c'est au niveau du portefeuille qu'il faut aller les chercher parce qu'apr\u00e8s tout c'est peut-\u00eatre pour cela qu'ils agissent ainsi. Il faut donc les frapper l\u00e0 o\u00f9 cela fait mal, au niveau du portefeuille.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2010/11/23/dan-mcteague-4/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/dan-mcteague/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/1414/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "3563403",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2010/11/23/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2010%2F11%2F23%2F"
    }
}