Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you both for being here today. We've had a lot of discussion around the table, but not too much that is specific to the bill itself, as far as questioning goes. I really do appreciate the testimony both of you have brought on this bill. I'll echo what Mr. Norlock said. It's so important to hear from the actual victims or the actual families of victims when we're making these deliberations.
You raised a couple of times, Ms. McCuaig, individuals serving their sentences concurrently and how that's unfair and gives someone a freebie, I think you said. This is timely, because today the Minister of Justice has introduced legislation that would allow judges to impose consecutive parole ineligibility periods on individuals who are convicted of more than one first- or second-degree murder. What that would mean is that if someone were convicted of two first-degree murders, they could have 25 years and then another 25 years of parole ineligibility, not concurrently but consecutively.
In Canada there are 457 individuals who are multiple murderers. They've been convicted of multiple murders, and 26% of them, or one in four, have been granted parole. These are individuals who have been convicted either of first- or second-degree murder, of multiple murders against fellow Canadians.
It's timely that you're here. Can I get your comments on that initiative?