(Chair) in the chair.

[English]

My name is Brent Cotter, and I am a senator from Saskatchewan and chair of the committee. I would like to invite my colleagues to introduce themselves.

Thank you, colleagues.

Honourable senators, we’re meeting to continue our study of Bill S-230, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. We have two panels today. The first panel is made up of three speakers, and I’d like to welcome, firstly, from the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, Nyki Kish, Associate Executive Director. Ms. Kish is joining us by video conference. Welcome, Ms. Kish. From the John Howard Society of Canada, Catherine Latimer, Executive Director, and Ms. Latimer joins us in person. Welcome, Ms. Latimer. From the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, Kate Mitchell, lawyer and doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto, and Ms. Mitchell is joining us by video conference. Welcome, Ms. Mitchell.

Each of you will be invited to address us for approximately five minutes. Following that, we will have questions and conversations with you initiated by senators.

Let’s start in the order that I’ve just described. Ms. Kish, would you like to go first? The floor is yours.

Could I invite Ms. Latimer to address us now.

Thank you, Ms. Latimer.

Ms. Mitchell, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Ms. Mitchell.

We will now have senators engage in questions. Senator Pate, you’re the sponsor of the bill, and I’m going to invite you to go last and mop up if needed. You know how we are at this committee.

Thank you, all.

I’d invite the others to respond, Ms. Kish first and then Ms. Mitchell, if you would like, on the question of the proportion of inmates in these circumstances who have a mental illness or mental health challenges.

Thank you.

Thank you.

No, it wasn’t. It was helpful, Ms. Kish.

[Translation]

Thank you, both. Senator Simons, I’m going to invite you to forego the second round if we could. We started a bit late, and I’m worried that we will be noticeably inconveniencing the second panel.

Maybe you can ask Senator Pate later. Senator Pate, you are the sponsor of the bill. I’m going to turn over the last set of questions to you.

Ms. Kish and Ms. Mitchell, would you like to contribute on this, if you have a view or insight?

Thank you. Anything from you, Ms. Mitchell?

Thank you both. I wonder if I could bring this section of our discussions to a close by thanking Ms. Kish, Ms. Latimer and Ms. Mitchell. As usual, you made very valuable contributions to our study of the bill, and I want to thank you again for joining us.

We will now switch to our second panel of three people, and I would like to welcome each of them.

We have with us Michael Spratt, Partner, AGP LLP. Welcome, Mr. Spratt. We also have Adelina Iftene, Associate Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University. Welcome, Professor Iftene. Also with us is Mary Campbell, Former Director General, Corrections and Criminal Justice Directorate, Public Safety Canada, now retired.

Mr. Spratt and Ms. Campbell are joining us in person and Professor Iftene is joining us by video conference. We will invite each of you to make presentations in that order of about five minutes each, and that will be followed by questions and discussion with senators. Beginning with you, Mr. Spratt, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. Spratt. You went a little bit over your time, but then you used less time the last time you were here, so it balanced out. Thank you.

Could I invite Professor Iftene to address us for roughly five minutes? The floor is yours.

Thank you, Ms. Campbell. You hold the record for getting in under five minutes. Thank you.

Thank you both.

Yes, please do.