Justice committee  I agree completely with Mr. Curtis. Have some mechanism for the most vulnerable to be able to be reviewed. They possibly didn't present well at their trial. They may be doing better now. They may be on medication or be receiving treatment. They may have the ability to participate in a way they weren't able to during their trial, so I do really agree.

Justice committee  I actually support what you have written in the legislation as proposed. I think at that time, when we made the submission, we didn't have the full background and benefit of all the submissions that have been made. I would amend that to say the legislation as proposed is what we agree is critically important, and we're hoping that this brings a shift from what was required, which was factual innocence, because that requirement presented huge barriers.

Justice committee  While I agree that the most serious cases have the highest penalty and those clients are in the most jeopardy, I don't think the commission should limit it only to the most serious of cases, because there can also be wrongful convictions in less serious cases, such as attempted murder or other serious offences that don't attract a life sentence.

Justice committee  I read some of the submissions that were made to Justice LaForme and I couldn't agree more that legal representation, especially for someone who is marginalized or has mental health issues, is absolutely critical to the success of the application. We can take Innocence Canada as an example of that.

Justice committee  Thank you, Mr. Garrison, for that question. I did see that recommendation in the report of Justice LaForme. I understand why you may want a diversity of perspectives and certainly will need someone who has experience in this area to lead such an important initiative. There are pros and cons to both.

Justice committee  If we look at the makeup of the prison population, we see that indigenous persons and racialized persons are over-represented, as well as people with mental health issues. Some of the stats in Ontario say that three out of four inmates in Ontario have mental health issues, so we know that those who are seeking review....

Justice committee  Thank you, Madam Chair, vice-chairs and members. Thank you for inviting the Criminal Lawyers' Association to present to you today. Our organization represents roughly 2,000 defence lawyers across Ontario, with members from all over Canada. We are on the front lines daily, defending accused persons in court.