Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank Mr. Taylor for the reminder for all of us that the presumption in the Criminal Code is that appearances will be in person and that what we're dealing with are exceptions. I don't share the optimism that others have about either this or future pandemics.
I also have a great deal of pessimism about the impacts of climate change as it affects all of our systems. I think having the exceptional provisions in place in advance will serve us well as we head into the future. I'm convinced that the requirement of consent by both prosecutors and the accused provides sufficient protection.
Admittedly, there's one circumstance when that doesn't apply. However, I'm also reassured by the section on “appearance by audioconference or videoconference”, where it says, “the court must be of the opinion that the appearance by those means would be appropriate having regard to all the circumstances”.
Therefore generally, with regard to amendments to Bill S-4, I will be voting against them. I think the existing protections are simply being reinforced here, and we are creating some exceptional circumstances to deal with the world we live in today. I will be voting against the amendments.