Mr. Goguen, you are asking what the strength of this bill is and how we can improve it. That reminds me of a principle in law called the Beccaria principle, which says that it is not important how severe the punishment is as long as it is prompt. So it is not about making sure that the sentence is severe, but rather that it is imposed consistently. Perhaps one of the strengths of Bill C-36 is that it reminds us to consider the fact that we are talking about a senior in all cases. In my view, that is a strength.
How can we improve the bill? I am not too worried about improving the wording. I would rather go back to a point that I have raised just now and that I consider important; everything has to do with enforcing the legislation. If we want judges to use it, they have to be able to have access to the information provided by seniors or their loved ones, information about the impact on the senior’s health, be it physical or financial. My concern is that we do not always have the right mechanisms in place to allow judges to get all that information. What can be improved is to work on restoring seniors' proper place and finding out what seniors and their loved ones think.