Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's a nice goal, and everybody wants the system to move faster, but we have some significant problems with the amendment as written. In fact, I don't think it's going to make the process any more expeditious. More fundamental is that in proposed subsection 29.151(3), we say “The Federal Court shall award”. We can't tell the Federal Court what to do.
The other impact is that if we were able to tell them what to do, we would burdening the Government of Canada to fund that. It says “regardless of the outcome of the application”, so even if it were a frivolous claim or a claim without merit, we'd be putting the Government of Canada on the hook to fund that solicitor-client cost, or the court cost. That doesn't simplify it; in fact, it makes it more complicated.
Beyond that, Mr. Chair, and to our legislative clerk, I would submit that this is outside the scope of the bill because we would be amending the National Defence Act, not Bill C-41.