The Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo wants to see tougher laws for sexual offences.
Frank Caputo introduced private member bill C-299 into the House of Commons today, Oct. 4, aimed at amending the Criminal Code of Canada to raise the maximum penalty for nearly all sexual offences to life in prison.
“Sexual offences in Canada are not treated with the seriousness that they deserve,” he said, in a statement. “We need to change the way sexual offences, especially those against children, are prosecuted and thought about.”
Currently, the maximum sentence for a sex assault against an adult is 10 years and 14 years for assaults against children. That means Caputo’s bill would essentially double the maximum to a potential 25 years in serious cases.
“Victims of sexual violence carry trauma are often subjected to a psychological life sentence and deeply rooted impacts [and] sentences must recognize this,” Caputo added, noting he often worked directly with victims of sexual violence during his time as a Crown Prosecutor.
“Only recently have we learned the true extent of the impact of sexual violence on a person, especially when the victim is a child. This change to increase maximum sentences to life imprisonment will clearly demonstrate to victims that the government understands the seriousness of the offence and will allow perpetrators to be punished accordingly.”
This is one of two private members bills that Caputo plans to table over the next couple of weeks. The other is to do with the efficiency and workload with the RCMP.
His first private member bill C-291, which was tabled by North Okanagan-Shuswap MP Mel Arnold, aimed to change the term “child pornography” in the Criminal Code of Canada to “child sex abuse material” to “better reflect the nature of the crime.”
“I am hopeful that all parties will support this initiative [C-299] along with Bill C-291 and demonstrate clearly that they will stand on the side of victims of sexual violence,” Caputo added.
Another private member’s bill from Caputo, C-274, aims to make it constitutional to automatically hold repeat offenders in custody in certain circumstances.
