Thank you, Madam Chair.
I guess I remain stupidly optimistic that we can finish consideration of these amendments and finish consideration of this bill today. As I have said many times, many people among those who are marginalized in our country are currently serving time for crimes they did not commit. They are waiting for this commission to get up and running so that they can seek justice. I'm hoping that today, in the next two hours, we can dispatch this bill and make it ready for the House to consider in the next sitting.
What I want to say is that I do agree with Mr. Housefather that we are trying to accomplish the same thing, but in defence of my amendment, I've tried to focus the commission's attention on those who did not appeal and on the reasons they did not appeal, and to focus on the reasons—through legal representation, through knowledge, through opportunity—that people were constrained. They didn't have the ability.
I am not intending to make a wide opening to the commission for people who didn't appeal who aren't in that situation. For that reason, I wrote it specifically into the amendment to make it clear that it was for the purpose of those who simply didn't have the opportunities or the abilities, and it was not simply anybody who failed to appeal.
I agree with Mr. Housefather that mine is in fact probably a bit narrower, but it's a bit more focused on providing the right to be heard to those who had limited opportunities and resources.
Thank you, Madam Chair.