Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have another question for Mr. Wall.
Mr. Wall, I understand your position on mandatory minimum sentences. I would now like to hear from you on the other aspect of Bill C‑5, diversion.
I imagine that you read the bill before appearing today. You understand that part of the bill is about diversion, or allowing the police to make decisions in some cases. For example, should individuals be brought before justice or should alternatives instead be considered to help them more?
Finally, what the bill proposes is to deal with drug addiction problems as health issues rather than criminal issues. Thus, instead of initiating a process that would send someone to prison, the system seeks to treat or heal their addiction. Obviously, we're talking not about trafficking here, but about personal use.
What do you think about that? In your opinion, are the police being given too much power?
Should a judge or prosecutor be the one to make those decisions, or in your opinion, are the police able to make that assessment about whether or not to use diversion?