Thank you.
I didn't get a chance to get to those points in my brief.
My point about requiring a real and substantial connection to Canada is to address the question that is sometimes raised. If we open the doors to survivors of torture in Canada, or terrorism for that matter, will that not open the floodgates for many cases to go forward?
When a civil case is brought in Canada, of course, there is a requirement that there be a real and substantial connection to Canada. I do think that perhaps being a family member of a victim could be sufficient to satisfy that. What's important to know is that there's an additional check, which is that you can provide a challenge to the case going forward in Canada if there is another forum that is better for the case to proceed, because victims and witnesses are there; there's a functioning judicial system.
I didn't have a chance to say that in fact there was a bill to do this that was proposed as a private member's bill by Irwin Cotler. It had the support of an MP from each of the other federal parties. I've provided you copies of Bill C-483. It provides an additional check, which is that all of the available remedies in other countries must first be exhausted.
There are quite a number of checks in terms of limiting the number of cases that go forward. I think it would be entirely appropriate to include it here, although I would be very concerned—even more so—in the case of human rights claims, about having a predetermined list of countries because of changing circumstances. Given the need to apply principles of law, it is much more appropriate for a court to determine when those acts have been committed.