MONTREAL - The Tories' get-tough approach to youth crime could just lead to jailed teenagers being used as "young flesh" by pedophiles, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said Wednesday.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has promised to lower to 14 -- in Quebec, 16 -- the age at which someone can be imprisoned for life.
That could be a boon for jailed pedophiles, Duceppe said as he campaigned in Montreal.
"Sending children to prison is sending them to the university of crime," Duceppe said. "If we want to be sure of making them criminals, let's do that.
"And it's young flesh as well. Let's not hide it. We know there is that kind of problem in prison and sending kids there is terrible."
Duceppe was speaking at a news conference where the Bloc received support from the Quebec Federation of Labour.
The province's largest labour group, which represents more than 500,000 workers, has promised to put its machine behind the Bloc during the election campaign.
Federation president Michel Arsenault says his organization doesn't want a majority Conservative government which is focused only on the military and prisons.
