Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, witnesses, for all your testimony.
I found it interesting today. We've heard a lot of testimony about offenders, what happens after an offence has been committed, and the lack of balance, as I see it, between the rights, the feelings, and the sense of justice of the victims.
A good part of the reason why this bill is being introduced is to recognize the seriousness of some offences. In opposition, some people seem to have the sense that conditional sentences came down from on high and they've created a panacea, but that's not the case. At the time conditional sentences were brought in, they were made available for some offences. Some people feel the use of conditional sentences has gone beyond anything contemplated at the time; they're used too frequently, and they take away from a sense of justice and rehabilitation.
I would suggest to the Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers that there's probably a reason why you request a conditional sentence order rather than a term of imprisonment for your clients. I would suggest that if you were to request a term of imprisonment instead of a conditional sentence order you wouldn't have them as a client very long because there is a deterrent effect. People do not want to go to prison. They would rather serve a conditional sentence.
We're trying to build some common ground with the bill. My question for the defence lawyers is, are there any of the offences included in Bill C-9 that you feel a conditional sentence should not be available for?