(Deputy Chair) in the chair.

[English]

I am Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, a senator from Quebec and deputy chair of this committee. I invite my colleagues to introduce themselves.

Honourable Senators, we are meeting to continue our study of Bill C-48, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform).

For our committee’s first group of witnesses, we are pleased to welcome, via videoconference, the Honourable Niki Sharma, K.C., MLA, Attorney General of British Columbia.

Welcome, Ms. Sharma, and thank you for joining us this morning. We’ll begin the meeting with your opening remarks.

The floor is yours.

[English]

Thank you, Ms. Sharma, for your remarks.

I will now turn things over to senators, who will have four minutes each.

[English]

I have three senators for second round. We have ten minutes left, so I will give you three minutes each.

Thank you, Ms. Sharma, and I’d also like to congratulate you on your leadership when it comes to helping victims and fighting crime. You’re very inspiring and illuminating. Thank you so much.

For our second panel, we have the pleasure of welcoming via videoconference Kat Owens, Project Director at Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund; Catherine Latimer, Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Canada; and Emilie Coyle, Executive Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society.

Welcome, and thank you for joining us.

We’ll start with Ms. Owens’ opening remarks for five minutes, and then we’ll go to Ms. Latimer and Ms. Coyle.

Ms. Owens, you have the floor.

[English]

Thank you, Ms. Owens. Ms. Latimer, you have the floor.

[English]

Ms. Latimer, please wrap up your remarks.

[English]

Thank you, Ms. Latimer. Ms. Coyle, you have the floor.

[English]

Ms. Coyle, I have to ask you to wrap it up.

[English]

Thank you, Ms. Coyle.

[English]

They told me that we asked the minister last week.

We will.

I agree with you.

Thank you, Ms. Latimer.

[English]

I thank the witnesses for their remarks.

I just got a note from the Clerk. Justice Canada is planning to get the GBA+, the gender-based analysis plus, to the committee when we get back from the break week, so we’ll get the information we requested then.

For our third and final panel, we are pleased to welcome Sarah Niman, Senior Director at the Native Women’s Association of Canada; David Field, President and CEO of the Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada, along with Policy Advisor Marcus Pratt; and, as an individual, Carolyn Yule, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph.

Welcome, guests. We are eager to hear your remarks.

We’ll start with Ms. Niman’s opening remarks, followed by those of the Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada representatives and then Ms. Yule.

[English]

Thank you very much. Now I’ll give the floor to the representatives of the Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada, Mr. Field and Mr. Pratt.

[English]

Thank you, Mr. Field. Ms. Yule, you have the floor.

[English]

Thank you very much, Ms. Yule. We need to end the meeting at 1:50 p.m., so you have three minutes each. Please keep your questions brief so the witnesses have enough time to answer.

We’ll start with Senator Simons.

[English]

Please conclude, Ms. Niman.