Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank all the guests here today for their testimony.
I would like to start, Mr. Chair, by saying that there are some elements of this bill that maybe all of us can agree on, including our witnesses.
Bill S-209 proposes to extend the exemption in section 83 for amateur boxing contests to cover other amateur combative sport contests, including contests in sports such as judo, karate, tae kwon do, and kick-boxing, as well as mixed martial arts. The bill would also clarify that the exemption in section 83 that currently covers professional boxing contests would then include professional mixed martial arts contests.
To both of our witnesses, do you think the proposed changes to the legislation modernize a relatively unused section of the Criminal Code and legitimize sports such as judo, karate, and mixed martial arts?
I'd like to start with the CMA, please.