Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thanks to both witnesses for being here today. You are closing our proceedings. Tomorrow we are going to give our research assistants directions for the report that we will table in the House of Commons.
I have three questions. The first is similar to that of Ms. Jennings. The fact that there are laypersons does not trouble me. I don't believe that all the members who are asked to consider the potential qualifications for becoming a Superior Court judge have to come from the legal community. I believe it is possible to have a say and to make a contribution even if you don't come from the legal community. However, you must state—I hope this will appear in our report—that the police officer is in a particular situation. You said that he is part of the prosecutorial system. Very often, he himself will lay the first information.
The government has often given us the argument that the reasoning concerning the police officer was not valid, since lawyers are often both judge and party. Some lawyers sit on the committee and also plead before judges. As honest and deserving as their contribution to society may be—that's not at all what is being called into question—what distinction should be drawn between a police officer and a lawyer from the standpoint of the operation of these committees?
That's my first question. I'll have two more, time permitting.