Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you to both of our witnesses.
I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to try to jump right in.
Mr. McCarthy, first of all, it's good to see you again. It's good that you are here. Thank you for your presentation. I'm particularly happy you're here because whenever we have discussions about court systems and issues in the courts, the default position is criminal courts. You are a civil lawyer, like I was, and we tend to be under-represented, so I'm pleased to see you here speaking on our behalf.
There is a lot of discussion about what's going on during COVID and what impacts it is having. You talked about them. as did Ms. Hardie. Hopefully this will be over and we will not be dealing with these unique situations like Tim Hortons anymore.
The bigger issue, in my mind, is what takeaways from this we're going to adopt going forward in the system, because virtual hearings are going to become part of our process going forward. I think the default position should be in-person hearings, not just for trials but for pretrials, discoveries, motions, all proceedings. You should have to present an argument as to why it should be otherwise, because, as you said, Mr. McCarthy, deadlines impose pressure, and that's at all stages.
What permanent features do you see going forward that have been adopted during COVID?