I can answer those questions.
The eligibility criteria are being amended in Bill C‑40.
First of all, the terminology has changed in some respects. Under the current provisions of the Criminal Code, individuals who have been convicted of an offence under an act of Parliament may apply for a review. The bill changes that terminology to refer to people who have been convicted. This clarifies that it includes people who have pleaded guilty as well as people who have been granted a conditional or absolute discharge.
As another eligibility criterion, a provision is being added to allow for an application for review in the case of people who have been found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. If there was a misdiagnosis, for example, that could be reviewed.
In terms of improving the review process, during the consultations, we heard a lot about the fact that it is quite onerous for applicants to gather all the trial transcripts and provide the many documents required. Applicants are often still in prison, so it's a fairly onerous process for them. So they have difficulty meeting the admissibility criteria.
If the bill is passed, the first step for applying will be greatly simplified. The Regulations Respecting Applications for Ministerial Review — Miscarriages of Justice will be repealed, and the new commission will instead develop policies to describe what people must submit. The form to fill out will likely be quite simple. This is what we have heard from other countries that have greatly simplified the form that applicants have to fill out. After that, we hope that the preliminary assessment to determine the admissibility of a request for review will be a little quicker and that, once a request has been declared admissible, we will be able to move fairly quickly to an investigation or a decision.