Anthony Housefather at the Justice and Human Rights Committee

I agree that this is a really important issue to focus on. We need more contested hearings, and we need to have more information at these hearings before people are just released with conditions.

Here is one thing I wanted to ask about. I may be wrong, but in certain provinces—I think Ontario, which you guys would be more familiar with, is one of them—a justice of the peace does not have to have a legal background.

Is that something that should change? Should the justice of the peace be required to have a legal background to at least have a better understanding of the criminal law?