Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, minister, for sharing your vision of Bill C-32 on the Canadian victims bill of rights.
I wanted to say right off the bat that I am happy that the process was expedited, insofar as the opposition was able to do so, so that the bill was referred to the committee for study.
In my opinion, there is no role more important than looking after the people we represent. Among the people we represent in our respective ridings are victims. There are all kinds of victims, and they are defined in different ways. I am glad that we can spend an unlimited number of meetings on this issue.
I am glad to hear what you have to say, but we are going to want to hear mainly from victims, the people who look after victims and those who deal with them in the justice system. We are finally going to be able to focus on that. Too often, these people feel that the justice system is not on their side and that they are forgotten. This is a good way to bring the focus back to them. However, it is clear that we have to do so properly, and not just on paper.
You talked about consultations, minister. Our partners, the provinces and territories, are the ones that are frequently going to have to enforce the victims bill of rights once it is passed.
That is why I would like to know whether you consulted the provinces and, if so, how.
Did they see the bill? Did they validate it? Were you able to discuss it?
Could you tell us how all this will be implemented?