Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would like to welcome the witnesses and thank them for their comments.
I have a question for Assistant Commissioner Cabana. You have addressed the issue of disclosure and the duty to disclose pursuant to Stinchcombe. The Attorney General of British Columbia told us he shares your opinion on this subject: we must find a way not to restrict, but rather to simplify or expedite, this requirement.
I'd like to hear the assistant commissioner tell us how he thinks we could expedite or improve the disclosure requirements but not run afoul of the charter rights given in the Stinchcombe case. Surely you're not suggesting we not disclose to an accused person evidence against him or her. Obviously, you're looking at a way to make it less cumbersome on the administration of justice, occupy less time and fewer resources, which would reduce delays.
Other than providing documents digitally, for example, are there other ways we could streamline disclosure and not, in your opinion, violate the charter rights of the accused?
Also, Mr. Cabana, I'm wondering if a lot of this isn't an issue of a lack of resources in some jurisdictions, rather than standardization. If some jurisdictions want it in paper form, others will accept it digitally. Some may have the technology, others don't. A lot of that can be solved by providing adequate resources, could it not, if the Government of Canada, in partnership with provincial attorneys general, found a way to better share the burden that these decisions impose upon the administration of justice?