You know, as do I, that we are not just talking about cases set out in section 380.1. This affects everything that forms the basis of our principles in sentencing, principles that guide our courts to impose the best sentence and enable them to consider the various aggravating or non-aggravating factors, and so on.
In such a context, if the purpose of the bill is to amend the Criminal Code with respect to elder abuse and if we are talking about protecting seniors, we also want this to have an impact on other provisions of the Criminal Code. This would not be a provision that would just come out of the blue, that we wouldn't see anywhere else in the Criminal Code.
My question was about the burden of proof, the proof that must be established before the court. Am I mistaken in saying that if we ask for proof of a significant impact, the burden of proof will be a little heavier than if we only asked for proof that there was an impact on the victim?