Thanks, Chair.
Many of the NDP amendments that are going to be coming forward in the next few minutes are derived from what I thought was persuasive testimony by Marie-Eve Sylvestre of the University of Ottawa.
Members will remember that it was her position that it was necessary to define the term “vulnerable population” in the bill. It doesn't do that in the current formulation. She was concerned about people experiencing homelessness, drug or alcohol users, people with mental health problems, sex workers, racialized minorities, all of whom are overrepresented in the criminal justice system and are placed at a disadvantage because they're overexposed to police surveillance and often the victims of profiling and discrimination.
The purpose of my amendment would be to follow her recommendations in that regard.