Mr. James Moore (Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, date rape drugs are a real and dangerous threat to women in Canada. Colourless, odourless and tasteless, these drugs are slipped into drinks to render women unconscious so they can be sexually assaulted and raped.

    There are three easy things that the government can do to fight date rape drugs: one, reclassify them as a weapon in the Criminal Code; two, launch a national campaign to educate women on the dangers of date rape drugs; and three, streamline the collection of evidence on sexual assaults and rapes so that these prosecutions can go forward and be successful.

    Will the minister do any of these three things to protect women?

  

Hon. Martin Cauchon (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.): I would like to thank the member, Mr. Speaker, for his efforts in that area.

    It is a serious question that he is raising. We just had an FPD meeting that took place in Quebec. We have been talking about a number of offences.

    As the member knows very well every year we are moving forward with an omnibus bill in terms of the Criminal Code, amending that legislation. We will sincerely have a close look at those recommendations.

 

Mr. James Moore (Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the minister will have a close look at this, but the government can take these easy steps today.

    The cowards who use date rape drugs need to be told through the law, with stern punishments, that this is not an acceptable way to behave in our society.

    While the government is looking at the Criminal Code, and I appreciate that, there is one simple thing that the justice minister can commit to today, and that is to work with provincial governments to educate women on the dangers of date rape drugs while he is looking at the law on the other side.

    Will the minister commit today to educate women about the predators and cowards who are out there and educate them on the dangers of date rape drugs?

 

Hon. Martin Cauchon (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows very well there are already charges that we can use within the Criminal Code in order to challenge and to charge those people.

    With regard to better education through the national crime prevention program in cooperation with the provinces and territories we can have a look at that in order to proceed with an education program.

    We will have a look at that and I thank the hon. member for his concern.