Thank you, Mr. Chair. Welcome, Minister.
I want to start by joining Madame Boivin in thanking Justice LeBel for his great years of service to our country and to our justice system. I also want to let you know that as a member of the practising bar a few years ago, I was familiar with Madame Côté, as I think all members of the bar in Canada were. The members of the bar have the highest regard for her. She was considered one of the finest trial lawyers in Canada. I think it's just a tremendous appointment. I congratulate you on that appointment.
I want to refer to some of the things you highlighted in your opening remarks today. You mentioned the Canadian victims bill of rights, and you'll know that the committee has been studying Bill C-32, the victims bill of rights. We just concluded our review and started our clause-by-clause review on Tuesday. I can tell you that in my riding, in Mississauga, for many years people have questioned their faith in the justice system. They were concerned that victims were treated as just another witness in the process and that they were often not informed about the investigative process, about the prosecution, about court dates, about plea bargains, and all the various procedures in a process that affected them greatly, because they were the people who were injured in the event that led to the process.
I wonder if you could tell us what you've been hearing from victims with regard to Canada's criminal justice system. How do you feel the victims bill of rights will change the status quo within the justice system?