Mr. Chair and members of the committee, first, we would like to thank you for inviting us here this morning to discuss Bill C-77. We are very pleased to be here.
My name is Siham Haddadi, and I am a lawyer with the Barreau du Québec. I am also the secretary of its Criminal Law Committee. I am here with Me Pascal Lévesque, who is president of the Criminal Law Committee.
The Barreau du Québec's mission as a professional association is to protect the public and the rule of law. The protection of victims and the principles of procedural fairness are part of the Barreau's mission.
Given the time allotted to us this morning, we'll get right into the topic at hand.
First of all, we would like to say that the Barreau du Québec supports this legislative initiative, Bill C-77. In our view, this reform was needed to ensure that victims rights and Canadian values are respected. This bill was necessary to ensure that what are deemed minor infractions are handled as efficiently and fairly as possible.
However, we feel that some aspects of the bill are problematic and that it is important for us to point them out to you this morning.
Now I'll turn the floor over to Me Lévesque, who will continue our testimony. Thank you.