Justice committee  Absolutely. Expunging a record gives an individual hope. It gives an individual opportunities for the future. I, for example, am a public servant. With a criminal record, that may be possible, but without one, it absolutely is. I have the ability to get security clearance and to

Justice committee  Yes, we share that concern. We would like to see, whenever there is discretion, parameters on how that discretion is to be utilized. We would like to see guidelines and appropriate training. The Canadian Association of Black Lawyers is very willing to stand with the government ar

Justice committee  With respect to community sentence orders, the first thing that we would ask you to keep in mind is that CSOs are a form of imprisonment. Although CSOs allow an offender to serve their sentence within the community, there are strict conditions, some of which are statutorily requi

Justice committee  If I may, I won't echo what my colleague Mr. Tachie has said, but what I will say in response to the honourable member's question is that I come from much of the same communities that Monsieur Gélinas is speaking of. I grew up in Pierrefonds. There was a shooting in Pierrefonds j

Justice committee  Yes, absolutely. I'm happy to provide it in writing to the honourable members of this committee.

Justice committee  Ultimately, the systemic racism we're seeing endemic in Canada has to do with both the level of interactions within the Black community, as well as once individuals are brought before the courts. What we propose with respect to Bill C-5, in particular, as my colleague Mr. Tachie