Thank you.
Thank you very much for all your testimony and for helping us become more informed on this issue.
The spirit of the bill before us is an important one that we definitely want to get right. We've heard from a variety of witnesses today and at our last session on the scope of the bill, and some areas where it may need to be broadened. As the bill stands right now, in terms of instilling public confidence and faith in the system, if mandatory training on sexual assault was there as put forward, I'm wondering if it would instill faith in the system, or maybe even a blind faith in the system.
I want to open this up to your experiences and opportunities on this because we've heard from testimony, for example, looking at the crime funnel. A sexual assault takes place. Most victims are fearful of reporting. Then they go before the police. This bill does not take in that element. Then, in the court system itself, many cases are pleaded out. In those that go to court, we've heard testimony about the concerns around the lack of training and awareness in the system by crown prosecutors, as well as the defence attorneys. At that point there could still be another plea. Then we're looking at juries and we're looking at judges.
If we limit the scope of this bill as it stands right now, to just training judges, is that going to give enough faith in the system? Are people going to be assuming that the whole system received mandatory training?