Yes. These can be found at page 18 and forward in our brief. We have recommended two changes. One is about the provision that has been put in to suggest that reasons should be offered by the judge to decide not to use technology. We think this is unhelpful because it provides a confusing paradox with the other provision in the bill, which suggests that the presumption should always be in-person attendance.
What does that look like practically? You have an application for someone to appear by teleconference and then there's a suggestion that this might not be appropriate and that we should stick with the presumption of in-person testimony, yet the judge is now required to give reasons to justify that, although that's the presumption. It's a bit confusing and conflicting, so we suggest that you remove that provision, as it appears at various parts requiring reasons to not allow for video conferencing or teleconferencing.
The second suggestion is that these various proposals about video and tech should be limited, generally speaking, to non-contentious hearings. We do not want to unduly erode the right to face one's accuser and to have in-person hearings. This is meant to be a fix for remote communities and communities that would benefit from this sort of thing, where there is no other alternative.