I can tell you that you are not going to win this fight. To answer your question, it is going to be very difficult, given the position of the various political parties in this room, to prevent the passage of Bill C-48. Unfortunately, it will pass.
There is only one aspect of this bill that I find reassuring. It is the addition of section 745.51, giving judges some discretionary power, as you rightly pointed out. To respond to your first question, do you know why the Conservatives absolutely want this bill to pass? You simply have to read the short title, section 1, and you will understand their entire philosophy. In fact, they will get back to it later on. The section reads as follows: “This act may be cited as the Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murders Act”. That is quite something, isn't it! Obviously, that is the only thing some of us may agree on. Regardless, on this side of the table, we want to stop the passage of section 1. That is more or less it. I will tell you why.
The discretion provided in section 745.51 reassures me. I do not know how to ask you this question, dealing with violence in penitentiaries. I have probably done what you do today. I practiced criminal law for a number of years and defended individuals accused of murder, among other things. If there is no light at the end of the tunnel, if they see no likelihood of release, do you seriously believe that rehabilitation is possible, especially in double murder cases?