Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.
I'll be supporting Mr. Bezan's amendment. While I understand the purpose of the bill is to expedite things, when you expedite things to the point that you take away the rights of those serving in the military, I think you've expedited a bit too far.
Mr. Bezan's amendment says that those who feel that they are sufficiently at risk because of a more expedited procedure should have the opportunity to request using the court martial procedure. This is not saying that every case will go through that more complex and lengthy procedure. It's saying that those who legitimately feel their rights are at risk, the punishment is too severe, or the consequences will be too severe can request to have theirs handled through the court martial system.
I believe it defends the fundamental rights of those who are serving within the military. It will not provide any kind of large-scale, administrative or other costs to the military to allow people to have that choice to defend their rights through court martial rather than a summary conviction.