Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I'm sure the members opposite never thought they'd hear this from me, but I welcome this amendment, which provides some discretion to the prosecution in these cases. I'm particularly glad to see it come from the government, because it has a much better chance of passing.
My question for you, Mr. Pruden—and I hope and expect that you saw the transcript or that you were present when Mr. Hoback testified—is the same question that I posed to him. It's about the practice that's grown up in at least some of the provincial and magistrates' courts where the prosecution gives notice as to whether they're going to be relying on the subsections within section 255 that impose a jail sentence.
What I mean is that a practice has grown up, whether it's by guidelines, whether it's by professional courtesy, or whether it's because there is some jurisprudence that requires them to do it, that the prosecution will give a heads-up to the court and to the accused if they intend to rely on the fact that what's before the court is a second offence or a third offence and therefore will attract a jail sentence. In many instances they exercise their discretion not to give such notice and have the case proceed as if it weren't a second offence.
My question to you is the same one I asked Mr. Hoback. Are you familiar with that practice, and if so, can you give us some sense how it has grown up, and is there anything in this bill that will have any impact on it?