Thank you very much.
Minister, I want to begin by thanking you and the officials who are with you today for coming to discuss Bill C-25 with the Committee.
I will make a couple of preliminary comments, just to be certain that I am understood. I also have a specific question for you.
Imagine an individual is kept in preventive detention prior to his trial. Two types of individuals are subject to remand in custody. There are those who are being charged for the first time, and those who already have a criminal record, but committed another criminal offence while not in custody. Many people, when a trial is mentioned in the newspapers, see an individual coming to court for the first time. Under the old system, the time spent in preventive detention counted double, as they say. Also, people see a criminal they heard about in the newspapers and then, when he is arrested and remanded in custody, he is given the same thing—a credit of two-for-one. Naturally, the penalty is different when the sentence is handed down, but the period in preventive custody counts double.
When you introduced this bill on behalf of the department, did you consider the question of equality? Everyone has to be equal before the law. Is that one of your goals? I read the bill and it is excellent, but were you seeking equality? It is important to consider the fact that one individual has never been convicted, but the other one has. In this case, everyone ends up on an equal footing.