Thank you for the question.
First of all, I would say that to contemplate significant changes to available punishments in the summary trial process should be looked at very carefully and taken very seriously. My thoughts today, I would say, would be an incomplete view of those contemplated changes.
In terms of eliminating detention, detention by its nature is a rehabilitative sentence. In my experience—and I have some reasonable experience administering justice in the Canadian Forces—it is an extremely useful behaviour correction method. It is also a particularly effective deterrent to young men and women whose most precious commodity these days is their free time. Given the interests of the summary trial system--the importance of swift administration of justice while effectively maintaining morale and discipline in the unit--I consider detention to be a very important tool. Although it is a fairly serious tool for a summary trial process, I consider it to be entirely appropriate for what it is we're trying to achieve.
I would also say that if you took a poll of the men and woman affected by the summary trial process, they would be very uncomfortable if we did not have such a process. I think that for the minor charges that are dealt with by summary trial, it very much serves the interests of justice and fairness and swiftness that our men and women are looking for.
I would also say that the removal of detention as a sentence would concern the men and women of the Canadian Forces because they would feel that administration of justice would perhaps not be sufficient to maintain discipline and morale and to act as a deterrent effect within a unit for behaviours that everyone would like to correct.
Does that answer your question?