| NEWS
RELEASE |
|
| February
13 , 2006 |
For
Immediate Release |
PROGRESS
REPORT ON BREITKREUZ’S BULLYING BILL
“Lawyers in the Library or Parliament are now reviewing the five
recommendations.”
Yorkton – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. for Yorkton-Melville, released the Final Report on Bullying submitted to him by retired RCMP Staff-Sergeant George Anderson from Carlyle. “I have submitted Mr. Anderson’s recommendations to the lawyers in the Library of Parliament for their review and comment,” reported Breitkreuz. “Once their review is complete, we will be sending instructions to Legislative Counsel for them to draft a Private Member’s Bill.”
Mr. Anderson concluded his report with five recommendations calling for amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Criminal Code of Canada:
| 1.
That the minimum age of criminal responsibility should be determined
on a case-by-case assessment, not set as a standard of twelve years
of age. 2. That sixteen and seventeen year olds not be included in the Youth Criminal Justice Act but subject to Adult Court. 3. That the Youth Criminal Justice Act be amended to allow Youth Court Judges to include parents in the probations of young offenders to ensure they become part of the solution. 4. That the Youth Criminal Justice Act be amended to provide mandatory jail sentences for breaches of probations and conditional sentences. 5. That an offence of “Bullying” be included in the Criminal Code of Canada as a dual procedure offence (meaning prosecution could proceed as a summary conviction or indictable offence depending on the seriousness of the crime). |
“I wish to thank George Anderson and all those that cooperated with
his investigation of this important issue. Hopefully, the House of Commons
will see the wisdom of the amendments we propose when Parliament reconvenes
in April,” concluded Breitkreuz.
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To view Mr. Anderson's Final Report on Bullying, submitted to Garry Breitkreuz . . . click here (available using Microsoft Word).