A bill proposed by a Conservative Party MP to make recruitment of youths in criminal gangs a crime has secured the support of the Canada’s justice minister and is set to become law.

Paramjit Gill, Member of Parliament from Brampton-Springdale in Ontario, has proposed legislation that will also inflict tougher penalties on criminal organizations trying to recruit youth.

The bill has received the support of Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and is set to be adopted before parliament breaks for summer June 21, the South Asian Observer reported Friday.

According to the report, Bill C-394 has passed the third and final hurdle in the House of Commons by a vote of 240-36 and has been submitted to the upper house, the Senate, for review.

The bill proposes prohibition of recruiting or encouraging a person to join a criminal organization. The new offence will carry a maximum of a five-year jail term and a mandatory minimum penalty of six months, if the person recruited is under the age of 18.

Gill, 39, said that, as a father of three, he was particularly concerned about addressing the issue of gang recruitment in Canada’s communities.

He appealed to all MPs to support the bill in its final vote.–IANS