Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I want to let you know that our party intends to support Mr. Cotler's bill.
As you pointed out, Ms. Stoyles, in 2005, my colleague Francine Lalonde called upon the government to amend the State Immunity Act to allow victims of torture in foreign countries to seek damages.
If memory serves me well, in 2005, the United Nations Committee Against Torture criticized Canada for not taking legislative action to assist torture victims.
I'd like to come back to the case of Ms. Kazemi. Lawyers for Mr. Hashemi, the victim's son, argue that the current legislation is unconstitutional and that in view of its international commitment to fight torture, Canada should no longer grant immunity to states that commit acts of torture.
The case is currently before Superior Court Justice Robert Mongeon, who will decide if the act, as it now stands, violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If that's found to be the case, what would that mean in terms of future action?