Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
The speed with which we're moving through these amendments.... If you'll give me just a moment to gather my thoughts....
I appreciate my Conservative colleagues' withdrawing their amendment and I commit to withdrawing other amendments a bit further on. As I mentioned at our last meeting, I don't intend to readjudicate issues that we've already discussed, debated and voted on, so that will mean the number of amendments we have to consider from the NDP will decrease significantly. I appreciate the Conservatives' also facilitating that work.
In this case, NDP-24 proposes that clause 38 would be amended by deleting lines 11 and 12, which currently state:
is not the individual at whom the conduct was directed,
and this is a commissioner directing the RCMP or the president directing the agency not to commence an investigation of a complaint if, in his or her opinion, the complaint is from an individual who is not the individual at whom the conduct was directed.
Breaking Barriers believes that this is something that could lead to a victim not stepping forward if there is any fear of reprisals. It would mean that essentially there would be an opportunity to not do the investigation. We seek—and Breaking Barriers recommended this—the removal of that clause, so that the investigations can still be undertaken.
There are a number of other groups as well, Mr. Chair, as you'll remember from our witnesses, that asked for the same thing, so it's removing that one clause to ensure that it is not a pretext to not commence an investigation of a complaint if the victims themselves feel uncomfortable stepping forward.