Mr. Chair, this is an amendment that seeks to give voice to the wishes of the Chiefs of Ontario and to take account of the unique position that our aboriginal communities have in this country.
In particular, this amendment adds the aboriginal identity of victims, witnesses, or accused as a consideration for a prosecution application for testimony behind a screen or other device. It's my submission that the committee should respect the principles articulated by the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Gladue and extend special consideration for aboriginal circumstances to the victim's side of the equation. The court should be granted the discretion to keep an open mind about special testimony circumstances in aboriginal contexts as requested by the Chiefs of Ontario.
(Amendment negatived)