I didn't complain.
I want to thank all three of you for being here today to discuss such an important issue. I think we all share the same vision when it comes to the matter of elder abuse. Ms. Beaulieu, I believe it was you who said that no one could oppose such a bill. I challenge anyone here to stand up and voice their opposition to Bill C-36.
Nevertheless, no discussion is ever that simple. In listening to all three presentations, I don't think I heard anyone say that Bill C-36 was a magic bullet. The problem is far more complex and much more nuanced than we might think. What's more, it impacts a group of individuals who are among the least likely to speak up—and that is not meant in a negative way—but who may have the most reason to speak up and complain.
When I began practising law—I'm going to betray my age—almost 30 years ago, when I was called to the bar, the issue of domestic violence was coming to the fore. Everything I have read about Bill C-36 so far very much reminds me of that issue. In other words, it's going to take a lot of education, a lot of publicity, something that is well under way in Quebec. In fact, I was extremely glad to see the ads featuring Yvon Deschamps, for example, speaking out against the taboo surrounding elder abuse.
I have a concern about Bill C-36 and the way it is written. I am not so sure that it will truly do what we think it will. Ms. Beaulieu, you did a good job of making that point when you said that it comes at the very end of the process. So the process must have been initiated for the bill to even be applicable, someone must have been charged. Many sections in the Criminal Code could apply to elder abuse cases, whether we're talking about criminal negligence, fraud or some other act.
My question is directed to the three of you.
When you did your studies—and we have those statistics of the percentage of people it touches, or whom we assume it touches—when a sentencing process is reached, were you aware that judges were not using this as a deterrent, as aggravating circumstances? People from the ministry told us last week that, yes, it was already used. Do you agree with them or not?