Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Warawa, thank you for bringing this bill to Parliament.
As have all members of Parliament, I certainly have spoken to many of my constituents who constantly express a concern about confidence in the justice system. Obviously, we want all citizens to have the greatest level of confidence in our justice system, and this is a bill that I think will enhance that. Often I hear from people who don't think victims are properly protected. They feel that the system is a revolving door and that it favours the perpetrators more than it protects the victims and the law-abiding citizens. Most of us believe that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done, and I think this bill would help in that sense.
When I was previously on the justice committee about two and a half years ago, we heard the story which I think you referred to in your opening remarks. It was about a young woman who very bravely brought forward her story about being sexually abused by a neighbour. She went through all the difficulties of a trial and giving evidence. That person was convicted and was then given a conditional sentence. On the same day that the sentence was handed down, she came home from court and saw him out on the front lawn of his house across the street cutting the lawn.
That so devastated her sense of self-respect and self-worth—she had gone through all of this effort to bring that person to justice and there he was in the same place where he'd been for years while he was abusing her—that she then attempted to commit suicide, which I think was just devastating to all of us. Thankfully, she was unsuccessful in that attempt and is well today and able to tell her story.
I think this bill addresses specifically that type of situation, so on my behalf and on behalf of the people I represent in Mississauga, I want to thank you.
You mentioned some statistics in your opening remarks. Could you tell us about your understanding of the statistics around sexual assault in Canada, especially with respect to child sexual assault? What's happening with that? Are we seeing more reported cases or fewer reported cases every year?