Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for appearing, Mr. Minister, and thank you for bringing your officials to cast some light on this important legislation.
Obviously, protection of the public is always paramount in the mind of this government. Certainly what's interesting about this bill is that it also takes into account the right of victims to be made aware of the release of very dangerous individuals. The bill also balances the treatment component of the individuals who have been found not criminally responsible so they're not left unattended to.
The cases of Vince Li, Allan Schoenborn, and Guy Turcotte brought the issue of being not criminally responsible to the forefront in Canadian society. We know that it's a fundamental principle of criminal law that a person must possess a guilty mind, the mens rea, to be criminally responsible for a wrongful act. Of course, in order to be tried people must be able to communicate and give instructions to their lawyers and understand the nature and the consequences of a criminal trial, because their liberty is at stake.
So if a person is found to have committed an act that constitutes an offence, but lacks the capacity to appreciate why he or she committed the offence or know that it was wrong due to a mental disorder at the time, we understand the court makes a special verdict of not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. Such people are not tried and they're not convicted.
Could you please explain what happens to someone who is found not criminally responsible, Minister?