Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I understand the intent behind Mr. Garrison's motion, and on several fronts, I agree with him. However, I take issue with rewriting history. We’re talking about convictions that occurred before the legislation came into effect. I don't see how we can pretend they never happened. We may wish they hadn’t, but they did.
Back in the day, people were hanged for murder. That’s not the case anymore. When hanging was abolished, there was no attempt to resurrect the people who had been hanged. They had been hanged. It's sad, but true. It's kind of the same here. Again, I am uncomfortable with the idea of erasing or hiding prior convictions. In fact, I wonder if that would even be possible.