Welcome, Mr. Cannavino and Mr. Griffin. Thank you for being here.
It is not without some surprise that you will discover that the Bloc is not completely in favour of this bill. The reversal of the onus of proof is for us quite worrisome, especially since three offences would automatically trigger reverse onus.
At present, there are some 384 dangerous offenders who have been documented. Of this number, 20.3% are Aboriginal. Therefore, out of a total of 384, there are approximately 80 Aboriginals. How do you envisage the future of these aboriginal inmates as dangerous offenders?
This will continue. They will commit three offences and they will automatically be incarcerated as dangerous offenders. We know full well that Aboriginals are over-represented in our penitentiaries. Do you not believe that this group will be even more a victim of discrimination, in one way or another? How will these people be able to defend themselves?