Mr. Speaker, just before I address the member's question squarely, I would like to point out with respect to the witness that he made reference to, Mark Sandler, that I actually had the chance to speak with him personally. He is supporting this bill. In addition to the intimidation and obstruction measures that the questioner has put to me, he has left out other important changes that would increase the penalties for people who commit a crime against a person on the basis of their identity, including their religious identity and including the colour of their skin or their sexual orientation.
With respect to the intimidation and obstruction offences, we believe that a gap exists. There could be some crossover with pre-existing offences that exist in the Criminal Code that may also constitute intimidation and obstruction, but we learned through other contexts, including to protect health care workers during the pandemic, that there is a gap that will allow us to protect religious communities and to ensure that they can practise their faith free of obstruction and intimidation and fully realize their right to freely practise their religion in this country.