Juanita Nathan

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 50 wordsI am pleased to rise today at the third reading to speak in support of the private member’s bill, Bill C-231, a bill that has benefited from thoughtful consideration and study at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.¹ I am proud to speak in support of Bill C-231, GreetingClaims · 302 wordswhich proposes specific amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, YCJA. Bill C-231 proposes to amend the YCJA to help youth with substance use disorders who come in contact with the criminal justice system to access treatment programs that will assist them in meaningfully rehabilitating and reintegrating into their community. More specifically, the bill proposes to clarify the instances when a young person in contact with the youth criminal justice system can be referred or ordered to participate in a treatment program and to enable, in certain cases, a youth justice court to defer sentencing to allow the young person to participate in a treatment program. In addition, the bill proposes to amend the YCJA to enable the youth justice court to include, in certain orders, the condition of attending a treatment program. The objectives of this bill align well with the objectives of the YCJA and the overall youth criminal justice system. The preamble to the YCJA calls on communities, families, parents and others concerned with the development of young persons to be active participants in the youth criminal justice system. The YCJA invites their involvement to prevent youth crime by addressing its underlying causes, to respond to the needs of young persons, and to provide guidance and support to those at risk of committing crimes. Bill C-231 enhances the YCJA’s multipronged approach to problematic substance use and seeks to improve outcomes for young people with substance use disorders who come in contact with the criminal justice system. At second reading of the bill, some members shared personal stories, as well as stories from constituents in their ridings. These stories remind us that problematic substance use and mental health issues affect all of us, whether directly or directly. These heartfelt and informative discussions continued during the committee’s study of Bill C-231. Thanks · 58 wordsI want to thank committee members for their interest and active participation during the study of Bill C-231. Their candid and at times personal interventions helped nourish the committee’s discussions regarding potential amendments. I want to thank the witnesses who came forward and shared touching stories as well as insightful views on topics related to problematic substance use.Thanks Claims · 222 wordsWe had the privilege to hear from family members of the member for Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, who tragically lost his son, David last year.² We heard from Caroline Levesque, who is David’s mother and an early childhood educator, and Justine Berthold, who is David’s younger sister and a nurse. During their testimony, they mentioned that too often the youth criminal justice system focuses on offences and punishments without looking into the underlying cause of a young person’s offending behaviour. They spoke about the importance for the youth criminal justice system of having the right tools and said that enabling decision-makers to use these tools at the right time would improve the YCJA’s ability to support meaningful rehabilitation and reintegration. The committee also heard from Angy Riendeau, a criminologist who highlighted the importance of early interventions when it came to preventing and addressing the risk factors that can eventually lead to persistent criminality in adulthood. She noted that the amendments in Bill C-231 would add to the intervention mechanisms already available under the YCJA to better help young people access treatment, specialized assessments, care and appropriate resources in a timely manner. The amendments that were made during the clause-by-clause study of Bill C-231 are consistent with the views that were shared during the witness testimonies. All the amendments proposed were adopted unanimously by committee members.³ Reasoning · 12 wordsThis showcases the close co-operation that this bill has cultivated among members. Claims · 85 wordsTo further the bill’s objective of improving the YCJA’s public health approaches to problematic substance use, many of the amendments that were made to Bill C-231 at committee relate to the language used in the bill. For example, the term “addiction” was replaced by “problematic substance use” to align with the more modern, less stigmatizing language used in the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.⁴ Certain clauses of the bill were also amended to refer to problematic substance use treatment programs or any other treatment programs. Reasoning · 53 wordsThis is to avoid unintended interpretations that may restrict access to other types of treatment programs, including programs focused on mental health or on behaviour modification and skills development. This broader terminology would also allow the YCJA to remain flexible and relevant, should types of treatment available to young people evolve over time. Claims · 202 wordsFurthermore, multiple amendments were made to Bill C-231 at committee, seeking to clarify, and at times broaden, the instances where decision-makers under the YCJA can refer or order youth to participate in a treatment program. For example, a coordinating amendment was added to ensure that prosecutors, in addition to police officers, must consider whether it would be appropriate to refer a young person to a problematic substance use treatment program before starting or continuing judicial proceedings against the young person.⁵ Moreover, amendments were made to clarify the situations when attendance at a problematic substance use treatment program or any other treatment program may be ordered as a sentence or as a condition to an order. For example, an amendment was made to explicitly mention that attendance at such treatment programs can be ordered as a condition of probation and continual supervision.⁶ These amendments would ensure greater consistency in the YCJA sentencing framework when it comes to problematic substance use, especially in the context of the Canada overdose crisis and the toxic illegal drug supply. The federal government is committed to a comprehensive public health and safety approach that focuses on connecting people to vital services, destigmatization and supporting prevention, treatment and recovery.Vague promise Reasoning · 25 wordsIn closing, I believe significant improvements were made to Bill C-231 during its clause-by-clause study and that it is ready for passing in the chamber. The ask · 10 wordsI urge all members to support it at third reading.