Good morning, everyone. I want to thank the witnesses for being here.
Ms. O'Connor, my questions are for you. Basically, I want to understand the obstacles to enforcement of the act, as reported to us by people on the ground. So I'm glad you're here so that we can talk about the rules applied by prosecutors to determine whether or not charges will be laid.
I read section 2.3 of the Canadian Public Prosecution Service Deskbook. I would you like to help me understand how it is interpreted in everyday life. First of all, your director, George Dolhai, already explained some things in August 2024. In a statement, he said that, as part of the decision-making process as to whether or not to prosecute, prosecutors must consider the evidence as well as the public interest, taking into account the potential impact of systemic discrimination or racism.
When your director says that the impact of systemic discrimination or racism must be taken into account, what does that mean? Does that have to be taken into account when deciding whether or not to lay charges?