Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Nicholson, for appearing before the committee today.
I think this is a timely piece of legislation. Just listening to the discussion around the table and whether or not this infringes on the right to remain silent, the existence of the presumption of guilt, and a lot of legalese, if you will, my understanding is that there have been some flaws in the Criminal Code and this is an attempt to address those flaws. Canadians have been asking this government, and they asked the previous government, to address the inequities and the failures that are in the Criminal Code and to bring in substantive changes.
I don't see this as any attempt in any way, shape, or form to subvert the charter. We do have this incidence out there of...you used the words “career criminals”, or recidivism amongst criminals who reoffend and repeat offend. That's only one portion of this particular piece of legislation, but I think that's the portion that Canadians are extremely concerned about.
I would like some of your further thoughts on that subject.