Thank you Mr. Chairman.
I'll start with a few questions for you, Mr. Elliott. I read your excellent brief while I was on the train. I don't think that the Bloc Québécois will be able to support this bill.
Let us take the example of two students sitting in front of or inside the Psychology Faculty at the University of Ottawa. Let us suppose that one of them passes a joint to the other, that both of them are occasional marijuana users, that they use marijuana three times a year, and that minors are nearby. I'm using the example of psychology students, but they could be political science students, history students or even students in administration—one should have an open mind and not discriminate.
Would I be mistaken in saying that if this bill were passed and these two students were brought before the courts, they could end up with a two-year prison sentence? Is that example a possible scenario? That is my first question.
In your brief you seem to say that despite the bill's intention to make drug treatment courts available to those who wish to use them, there are so many barriers and aggravating factors working against them that in the end, in fact, appearing before those drug treatment courts wouldn't actually be possible. I'd like you to tell us why.
I'll start with those two questions. I have others if time allows.