Thank you, Mr. Chair.
With respect to the intent of this amendment, I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues mainly to the fact that currently, the complaint must be filed by the complainant's legal representative or by someone who has obtained written consent from the complainant.
Groups like the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers came to tell the committee that sometimes, owing to an immigration process that is under way, a person may be removed from the country, making it complicated for that person to file a complaint against the Canada Border Services Agency. There is a concern that the case might be put on hold because a complaint has been filed. Moreover, if the person is already out of the country, it's rather difficult to obtain that person's signature or written consent.
The intent of using the expression “any third party” is not to give anyone the right to file a complaint just because they saw something on TV. In any event, it's understood that the commission would be entitled to refuse to deal with such a complaint. It's really more to allow an association like the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers to file a complaint on behalf of a complainant without obtaining that person's written consent in instances where it would be difficult to do so.
That then is the true intent of this amendment. I don't know whether that might clarify things for some colleagues to help them decide.