Thank you very much.
I'm going to speak in French.
In the train coming to Ottawa, I read the submission you tabled at the symposium held here in Ottawa, in 2000, after the Supreme Court handed down the five rulings.
You said that this bill is a product of pure ideology and that its adoption cannot be justified on any rational ground. You have made exhaustive studies and are well versed on this matter.
To your mind, in its denunciation, did the Supreme Court indicate that in cases of violent offences where there are slim chances for rehabilitation and where there is a risk for the community, common sense would lead one to conclude that a conditional sentence is simply not the preferred option.
My first question is for Mr. Roberts and Ms. Joncas. Do you have statistics, and I am not talking about ones used by conservative sensationalists, but hard data that show that the courts have handed down conditional sentences in cases the public deems as shocking crimes, either inappropriately or out of contempt?
I have two other questions, should I have time remaining, or if the dear lord permits.