Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I thank all of the witnesses for being with us today when we're dealing with such an important bill.
I want to start with Ms. Shanmuganathan and ask a question that backs up a step from her remarks on the impacts of mandatory minimums on the racialized community. When it comes to drug offences, I guess the point I've been pursuing is this: Why are we talking about mandatory minimums rather than actually removing personal possession of small amounts of drugs from the Criminal Code as a criminal offence? Wouldn't that have a larger effect on the racialized communities in Canada?