Yes, Mr. Chairman.
This amendment is fairly straightforward. Many witnesses have testified that "brutal nature" is a problematic concept that does not necessarily clarify the matter. We heard this again and again from expert witness testimony. This amendment leaves intact the consideration regarding cases where there is a substantial likelihood of violence endangering the life or safety of another person, which appear in paragraph (a).
My changes to paragraph (b) say that we also take into account cases where there is a serious risk of psychological, as opposed to physical, harm. By leaving in the reference to psychological harm, I believe this amendment captures the essential element of what was proposed in C-54, without the addition of the "brutal nature" factor, which many witnesses, particularly the experts, found to be highly problematic.