Mr. Ray Flaherty:

I have one comment. During one of our consultation sessions, one of the survivors said this group of people had been given a life sentence without parole. I cannot help but look at the six-month provision in that context and say this proposed legislation is actually suspending the first six months of the sentence. In effect, it is increasing the sentence by excluding people from the scheme. The comment struck me at the time it was uttered as being an extremely apt way of describing the situation. It is important to say this in the context of the six-month eligibility provision.