It actually is, so let me talk about what those are.
We're talking about firearm. It's not knives; it's specifically firearms.
Let's take drug cases. There's a reverse onus in certain serious drug cases. Well, there was consultation, and the problem of drugs is an international problem, and Hall reflects that there are certain cases in which the bail provisions are not enough to deal with what is perceived to be a bigger issue.
Murder—a more serious offence, I can't think of. Terrorism offences are international. So what we're talking about is that where there is a reverse onus, there have sometimes been international—or certainly national—reasons for it. The Supreme Court of Canada doesn't say reverse onus is okay. They look at the specific reasons why, and specific offences.
So what I say to you is that we're not trying to be obstructionist; we're just asking why this is happening. If you want to make it more difficult for somebody to get out—and I'm saying you don't have to—then you can add those two aspects of it. If you've been involved in an offence with a gun, then you have a bigger problem, because the public confidence in the administration of justice is going to be strained. But you shift the onus, and that's fundamentally very difficult.
What happens when you shift the onus? On the practical side, that's going to make bail hearings more difficult. There's no question about it. They're going to be longer. There are going to be people who are without jobs, without families, single parents, who are unable to meet the onus. There's no question about it.
What is the onus? The onus is covered by getting a package that controls the risk. How do you do that? Get somebody from the community to support the person—an employer, a family member—and you're going to have to put up a significant recognizance. So who are the people who are not going to be able to meet this onus?
In our respectful submission, there are certain cases in which the legislature has the reverse onus, but those cases are specific, and they are sanctioned by the courts. We respectfully submit that there's not the same evidence on this bill.