Okay, that's clear.
You said something important. Since the beginning, I have been worrying about the citizen’s arrest. That has to do with the security of the person. I would not recommend a citizen's arrest. People don’t have the training or the skills required for it. It can be dangerous. But if a person still feels it is their duty to do so, it has to be done properly to avoid any problems. You have to be sure that you are arresting the right person. That is something to consider.
I understand your position. You would like to keep the Criminal Code as is. However, since we are a minority in Parliament, I don’t have much hope that we will be able to achieve that. I think the government wants to make amendments to the Criminal Code.
I am a bit concerned when I hear you talk about a reasonable period of time. That only adds to my concerns. I am told that, in some cases, that could mean a number of days. The Criminal Code has to specify what a reasonable time is if someone is arrested after an offence was committed. In my view, it clearly means a few hours after the fact. But people infer that it could be the next day. I almost made peace with the idea that it could happen over the next several hours, if the same person was stupid enough to go back to the same store. Mr. Woodworth's example heightened my fears and I thank him for that, because I was almost ready to support the clause as written. It sometimes helps to hear from witnesses. I understand that it could be the next day or the day after when memory may no longer serve properly.
How can we reconcile all that and make the clause more consistent so that the situation is less worrisome than the one Mr. Chen has experienced?