Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I too want to thank our witnesses.
All of this is extremely interesting. We had been expecting this bill for a long time. We heard a lot about it and there were also several press conferences. I congratulate you for the work you do on behalf of victims, each one of you in your respective fields.
As some of you pointed out, the success of this new charter is going to depend largely on provincial and territorial partners. In the course of the administration of justice, they will have to apply large parts of this new Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.
I don't remember exactly who talked about this, but I have to admit I am a little concerned about something. Following last week's meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for justice and public safety, there was a certain disappointment. Certain specific demands had been made regarding legal aid. However, they did discuss the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.
I read the statement made by the new Quebec Minister of Justice, Stéphanie Vallée, which says: “However, Quebec like several other provinces expressed some concerns regarding the implementation of the bill as proposed.”
It was also said that there was not enough consultation before the bill was prepared. I would like to know whether, like me, you believe that the various levels of government are going to have to work in close cooperation if this new bill of rights is to work.
Aside from Mr. Sullivan who spoke about this briefly, no one has pointed out that some elements are missing from this bill. As explained by the minister and representatives of the Department of Justice, that was somewhat deliberate. They wanted to start with something. That said, this charter leaves a number of victims aside. So we have a Canadian charter for the rights of victims, but it does not necessarily apply to all types of victims.
I would like you to discuss that more in depth. The question of members of the military disturbs me considerably. Since I read several of your articles, Mr. Sullivan, I am surprised not to hear you say anything about the victim surcharge. I was not necessarily satisfied by the replies provided by the department officials. I'm not sure I understood what they were trying to do with new subsection 737(4), regarding reasonable delay.
Does this dispel your reservations about the surcharge, or do you still think that there is a legal vagueness there?
Mr. Laferrière, you worked in close cooperation with Senator Boisvenu in connection with the victims' association with whom you worked. Conservative colleagues, who could never be accused of being overly favourable to unions, may not have situated you quite accurately. You have been a passionate advocate for the rights of victims.
Could you tell us about your background?
I'll start with Mr. Laferrière, just to be precise on where he's coming from, and then go to Mr. Sullivan.