Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
We consider these reforms a fair compromise between normal concern for victims and the safety of society and the search for a criminal justice system that reflects a whole set of values.
Section 745.6 was intended for exceptional cases.
With the amendments we have made, offenders who commit multiple murders after January 9, 1997 will no longer be allowed to apply for judicial review. In addition, the two changes we made to the system, including offenders currently in the system provided that they had not already applied when the amendments came into force, were judicial screening and that the jury considering the application must be unanimous.
In the Bernardo case even though the murders were committed before the amendments came into force, the judicial screening and the unanimity on behalf of the jury will apply.
No one can ignore the pain that the Olson and Bernardo cases have inflicted on the families of the victims. The difference between the government's approach and that of the Conservatives and Reform is that the government wanted to do more for the victims and their families and to acknowledge the pain they feel. We are not going to stop only with the focus on section 745. We are doing more in terms of the families of the victims and the government will be speaking to that in the future.