Good evening Fellow Toastmasters and Guests

Tonight, I am going to talk about a topic that has sparked many debates in Canada and around the world. I am going to express my view on this and I do recognize that some of you may not agree with my view. In fact, some of you may find some of my views disturbing.

My parents always use to say, "Never do the crime unless you can do the time". That view use to apply in the days when people truly did pay for their crime. However, nowadays, criminals do the crime but they never seem to do the time. This is what I want to speak about tonight.

Case in point is Paul Bernado and Carla Homolka. They committed the most horrific crimes beyond any normal human imagination. They brutally raped and sodomized two innocent teenagers. And, as they begged for their lives and pleaded to go home; these two people (if you can call them people) took delight in videotaping this horrific act. And afterwards, Paul and Carla dressed up and went out for an Easter dinner at their parents' house. Now, how can you possibly eat a dinner after committing such a heinous act?

Can you really say that they are doing the time for their horrific crime? I don't think so. These people are evil murderers. They are demonic, and should get what they deserve. Good old Paul will stay in jail for the rest of his life — true. However, our tax money pays not only to feed and shelter him, but also to keep him in his own cell to protect his safety in case the other prisoners kill him. Imagine that...

Meanwhile, Karly curls gets to take courses at Queen's University — for FREE while a lot law abiding citizens are left wondering if they would ever be able to afford university. She gets to stay in Club Fed, have little birthday parties, and wear fancy gowns, while the families of the victims suffer the loss of their daughters. Is this justice? Is this right? I don't think so, and I know a lot of you don't think so either.

I believe in the old biblical way of dealing with crime: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, life for life. In a case like this, where there is no shadow of a doubt that they committed the crime, where there is hard evidence (in their case there was not only a confession but also a videotape), Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo deserve the death penalty. Why? They snuffed out the lives of innocent teenage girls who wanted to live and who had their whole lives ahead of them.

The trouble with our legal system is that it is built upon the principal of rehabilitation — that a person can change. Consequently, it focuses more on the rights of the criminals than the rights of the victims. Rather than granting the victims the right to see justice, it grants criminals the right to privacy, the right to rehab programs, the right to protection, the right to this, and the right to that.

Let's be honest and face the truth: When have we ever rehabilitated a murderer or a rapist? Look at Peter Whitmore, that sicko who raped and molested little children. What happened to these poor, innocent children will have devastating effects on them for the rest of their lives. But what does Peter Whitmore get? A few years in prison then parole (because after all he IS rehabilitated). And, lo and behold, a few weeks after he's released, he breaks the rule on not being around children and is caught in a hotel room with a 13 year old boy.

I wish our government would wake up from their slumber and realize that they must do a complete overhaul of our legal system, and make criminals do the time for their crime. It's high time that we, law abiding Canadians, take a strong stand on this issue so that:

• Once again, our streets and parks will be safe enough to walk anytime of the day or night.
• Once again, we will not have to lock our doors for fear of our homes or cars being broken into.
• Once again, our children will be free to go outside and play without the fear of being abducted or killed.

We have the right to live in a safe society — a society, free from danger and harm.

We, law abiding Canadians, deserve true democracy that protects our safety, our loved ones, our lives...