Thank you.
Since we have some time, this is directed to the officials from both departments and the RCMP representative.
We've talked a lot with the ministers about the harsher penalties, among other things.
Ms. Morency, prior to drafting Bill C-26, did the Department of Justice conduct a jurisprudential review of cases going back a certain number of years?
In their comments promoting Bill C-26, both ministers often pointed to the fact that offences against children had gone up by 6% in the past 2 years. The media has often cited that statistic, as have both ministers.
Was any research done? And if so, what did it entail? What findings did department officials come to, and how? Was there a trend among courts indicating that the sentences being imposed were not harsh enough?
I'm trying to understand what motivated the decision to create Bill C-26. What kind of analysis and research was done to warrant the measures in the bill?