Mr. Chairman, if we are leaving in “brutal nature”, which my previous amendments sought to delete but which have been defeated, then we ought to at least define it. This proposed definition, “an act of violence that is out of the ordinary due to its exceptionally cruel and savage character”, at least provides some clarity and ensures that such acts are understood as being exceptional, even for serious personal injury offences.
I might add, Mr. Chairman, that the phrases “cruel and savage character” and “out of the ordinary” are not of my own penning but come out of several court rulings, notably the 2004 Ontario case, R. v. Campbell.