Thank you.
I agree with eliminating this clause, Mr. Chair, for the reasons mentioned. We were here and we heard the witnesses speak. If I'm not mistaken, everyone who testified and who were experts in law and the Criminal Code raised sincere and serious concerns about this clause.
Given their profession, these people are very familiar with the Criminal Code. They see how it is used and applied. Yet they tell us that this clause, in addition to being useless because an honour killing has never been excused by reason of provocation, is dangerous because it eliminates the discretionary power of judges. It also eliminates the possibility of invoking the notion of provocation in other cases where it might be relevant.
When we have testimonies that are as clear, strong and unanimous in committee, ignoring them becomes an act of total stubbornness. They need to be considered. If the government is truly interested, it could remove the clause, do better work on this, gather some data, some facts about the usefulness of such a measure and rework it. Regardless, we cannot move ahead so quickly when so many experts have expressed their disagreement and concern.
This clause may be one of the most troubling points of Bill S-7, which is why I support the amendment and oppose clause 7.
I hope the government will take into account the concerns expressed by the witnesses.