To the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled:

We the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following:

-The incidence of violent crime against children under the age of eighteen resulting in their deaths are becoming more frequent in London, Ontario as well as all of Canada. We the people of Canada have encountered many acts of child violence resulting in a conviction of manslaughter, many of these charges and/or convictions have been laid on the parent, guardian, or person(s) responsible for these children at the time. The majority of these children are five years or younger. There were nine suspicious infant deaths in London and surrounding area dating from October 2002 to December 2003, seven of which happened within a period of nine months. The average time a person spends in a correctional facility once convicted of manslaughter for the violent crime of the child is five to eight years.

-Each incident involving a childs death, not only harms the public opinion and trust in the Canadian Judicial System, but also affects the overall safety and security of the public.

-We feel that if legislative action were to be taken and the charge of manslaughter carried a manditory minimum sentence of fifteen years for those who have violently taken a life of a child under the age of eighteen, there would be less incidences of these crimes. They would serve fifteen years instead of the possibility of "time served". The time spent in a correctional facility prior to sentencing is counted as double time towards the sentence, therefore a person sentenced to three years and has been in the facility for eighteen months before the sentencing would be released.

-Therefore, your petitioners ask that Parliament enact Legislation in which those who are convicted of manslaughter for violiently taking the life of a child under the age of eighteen are to serve a manditory minimum sentence of fifteen years in a Canadian Correctional Facility.