Mr. Boissonnault, first and foremost, it is the judge or magistrate who makes the determination as to whether or not someone should be let out on bail. Consequently, the information about the criminal history of an accused seeking bail remains relevant and material even in the context of a consent application.
Second, with respect to the Alberta bail review, I would note that the Alberta bail review takes for granted that this type of information should always be presented at bail application hearings. I would draw your attention to page 3 of that report, wherein the author states that there was virtually unanimous agreement from all of those consulted on four issues, including all participants in the bail application process. The report also states that a judge or magistrate should have access to complete and accurate information, and that convenience and efficiency should not be allowed to trump the integrity of the process.
I would also draw your attention to recommendation 25 of the report arising from the Alberta bail review wherein it was stated that before a bail hearing the police should provide the crown counsel with the following information at a minimum: an up-to-date criminal record, including both a CPIC printout and a JOIN sheet in Alberta; and information on outstanding charges together with copies of forms of release on those charges.
With respect to police officers conducting bail hearings, that is done and has been done in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. We have, as a result of a reference put before the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, a decision of Chief Justice Wittmann who made certain findings having to do with the jurisdiction of police officers to conduct bail hearings in Alberta.