I would like to finish making my first point. I would ask my colleagues to reconsider their decision. The whole purpose of the Committee's work is to try and improve the bill. I think Mr. Davies' first amendment brings a dimension that will make it possible to set aside the vast majority of cases. Whenever the offence involved is sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation or incest—it's very well defined—that person's name will automatically be listed in the registry. Automatic registration is not being removed. Whenever an individual commits a sexual offence, as laid out in Bill S-2, that person's name will automatically find its way into the registry.
Having said that, the additional dimension included in this amendment is such that consideration can be given to a situation where the offence is extremely minor and of little consequence. An example might be an 18-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl who love and enjoy each other. If the parents are not in favour of the relationship and make a complaint of sexual assault involving a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male, what is going to happen? Should that young man be labelled a sexual offender for the rest of his life, even though he was actually only involved in a consensual relationship with a 15-year-old girl? I think we have to consider these issues and allow the judge to determine whether the accused has proven that the effect of registering that individual would be grossly disproportionate to the public interest in protecting society.
Mr. Chairman, I believe Mr. Davies' amendment brings a new dimension that is worth considering.