Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
The coalition of national groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, la Ligue des droits et libertés, and the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, have been critical of the bill, but have also proposed some concrete solutions.
One of those, given the fact it is clear in their understanding that Bill C-26 would restrict the applicant's access to evidence, is to create a special advocate to enable evidence to be tested in a court of law without being disclosed to outside parties. This recommendation, of course, borrows from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
I have two questions for you, Mr. LeBlanc, on their suggestion around a special advocate. First, why didn't the government consider creating that special advocate in the legislation initially? Second, does the government now support the idea of improving this legislation, which has some major weaknesses, by the creation of a special advocacy?