Mr. Speaker, I only passed over it because there is really not much in it. It is merely a regurgitation.
There will be circumstances where persons change so dramatically in life-and they will be few and far between-that they should be given the opportunity to put their situation before a jury of their peers, not a judge but ordinary citizens like us.
My problem with the current section is that the persons only have to convince two-thirds of a jury. When they were convicted the jury had to be unanimous that they were guilty. However under the current provisions of section 745 they have to show two-thirds of the jurors that they should be allowed to apply for parole before they serve 25 years.
It should be a unanimous requirement. If they cannot convince a jury unanimously that they are entitled to early parole eligibility, they should not get it.
In the absence of an amendment saying that, I do not support section 745 as it is currently drawn. The hon. member for York South-Weston has moved a private member's bill in that regard which I supported at second reading and which I support now.