Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Minister, the notion of special advocates is not new in legislation. We already have special advocates in cases where a complaint is filed against the Canadian Security Intelligence Service for its activities. These advocates can meet several times with a person complaining of illegal or disputable activities on the part of security services.
Despite the fact that, just as is the case with the special advocates provided for under this bill, they have access to confidential information, there has never been a single complaint that a special advocate communicated such information to the person he or she was representing.
Why, in this case, can the special advocate not have any contact, except with the permission of the judge in exceptionable circumstances, with the person he or she is responsible for defending, and why can he or she not play his or her proper role for the individual involved? I am obviously relying here on the French text, despite the fact that it, is in my view, a poor translation.