I have a question.
This particular dual amendment increases the mandatory minimum penalty under proposed paragraph 151(a) from 45 days to one year, and proposed paragraph 151(b) increases it upon summary conviction from 14 days to 90 days.
My question is to government officials. I'm bearing in mind that the Statistics Canada data we just got show that we have, over the last 10 years, some 7,000 convictions for sexual interference. Each of these convictions, in which the mandatory minimum would be used by the court, would send a person to a provincial institution, not a federal institution, by definition. Sentences of one year or 90 days are served provincially, not federally, so there's a full imposition of the cost of this on the provinces.
My question is this: has the department done a workup on what this might cost provincially? Second, has there been any consultation with provincial counterparts in relation to these costs before we go ahead and impose the measure on them?
If Ms. Morency or Mr. Villetorte can't answer that, perhaps Mr. Dechert can.