First, there's certainly an obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The notion that the cut-off date would be 16 years rather than 18 just came out of the blue here.
When I first looked at the bill, I shook my head as to what's going on. What is Canada doing here? There are certainly implications there that go beyond Canada itself.
The literature is vast on the negative impact of detention on children, particularly unaccompanied children. Of course, the younger you are, the worse it gets. I think we should also hasten to add that although detention is not mandatory for children 15 years and younger, under this bill it's still allowed, so children may still be detained as a discretionary matter.
The alternative is following what the Convention on the Rights of the Child says, which is that you follow the best interests of the child. You make a best-interest determination: What is in the best interest of this child? It's not using the child as a means towards a deterrent against some smuggler somewhere, but protecting the child—protecting the child against smugglers, for that matter. It's using appropriate means—foster care, whatever it might be—that follow a best-interest determination by child welfare specialists who can make that determination based on what is best for that child.