Public Safety committee  I'm not sure that I follow your question.

Public Safety committee  That is correct.

Public Safety committee  I don't have the immediate answer to that. I would certainly be happy to get back to the committee with that budget number.

Public Safety committee  Thank you for that. It would certainly be a guess on our part at this point to give you a solid answer with respect to how many people would apply were there no fee. What I can tell you is that, prior to the amendments that were made in 2010 and 2012, the volume of applications for pardons was significantly higher than what we're seeing today.

Public Safety committee  I think it's both. I would suggest that there certainly could be a number of reasons that individuals apply for record suspensions. Fundamentally, I think it's fair to say that most people see a record suspension as an opportunity to close a particular chapter in their lives, to move on and to have the validation that they have done what the law has asked of them to do, which was essentially to remain crime free for a period of time.

Public Safety committee  Yes.

Public Safety committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon to the honourable members of the committee. I would like to thank you for the invitation to speak with you today in relation to your study on the record suspension program. I would like to start by introducing myself and my two colleagues here with me at the table.