Thank you.
While I appreciate the spirit in which the amendment has been brought forward, and I congratulate my colleague Monsieur Fortin for addressing the issue that's pertinent to our discussion—that is the overincarceration issue—I want to highlight to the committee that our Conservative amendment number 11 also speaks to the spirit of this particular amendment.
The only concern that I have, and why I cannot support it, is that, in criminal law, and particularly in my previous career, I demanded clarity with respect to the law. I guess an argument could be made that much of the litigation that flows from criminal law is the result of confusing terminology and different interpretations.
Wherever possible, I look for clarity. I look for definitions of clauses. The reason I cannot support Monsieur Fortin in this particular amendment is that I don't know what he means by “exceptional circumstances”. I don't know if that is what was contemplated by Monsieur Fortin. I think the spirit behind it captures what we're trying to do, but Bill C-5 is premised, again—at least with some of the narrative of the government—on reducing litigation. In my view, this creates more confusion. That's why I cannot support it.
Thank you.