Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Long, for being here and for proposing the motion.
Respectfully, I know you're here to answer our questions, and I don't particularly care for speechifying in question time, but there were a few points raised in the previous round of questions that I think I can help you address.
Public Safety did research on Canadians' perception of the pardon system—or record suspension; I prefer “pardon” as well. Three-quarters of those who were polled by EKOS, which was hired by Public Safety, found that the process should be easier and cheaper for those seeking a pardon. Eighty-six per cent of participants—I'll come back to this in my questions, Mr. Long—agreed with eliminating or expunging records of non-violent offences when it was a first infraction.
Another thing that I think is important for this discussion is with regard to what people “deserve”, to use the word we heard earlier. Since 1970, 96% of those who did obtain pardons have not committed another crime since. That was in 2010. I think right now it's more like 95%, which is still pretty overwhelming. In fact I believe the Parole Board, to go back to that question, would be supportive of this, because the Parole Board tells us that Canadians who have received a pardon are less likely than the average Canadian with no criminal record to commit an offence. I think the things you said are pretty clear about the impact this has on people being able to move on with their lives and contribute to Canadian society.
I'll get to my question. As I told you, I don't particularly care for speechifying, but I did want to get those things on the record.