 Of course, Daria, I'd like to first acknowledge that the meeting on behalf of my ministry has been held on the magnitude of the ancestral and unceded territory of the Big Maw people. I'd also like to acknowledge the Parliamentary Secretary, Sean Casey, as well as those close to the Minister of Justice, Diana Waley, as well as and Senator Sinclair for their very thought-provoking vision of restorative justice. I'm not only in the province, but nationally. I'd also like to acknowledge the organizers of the conference, the No Scotiable Department of Justice, and in particular, Jennifer Llewellyn of the Ensure Delos book at Dalhousie. The discussions over the next two days will help to advance restorative justice in general, but also for us in particular at the Federal Department of Justice. You've heard about the minister's mandate letter. I'm not going to repeat what is in the letter. It's about reviewing law reforms over the last 10 years, promoting restorative justice. What I want to talk about is how the minister actually interprets her mandate letter. Because she and we at the Department interpret the mandate letter much broader than the actual words on paper, broader than the actual PM's mandate. It's not just about reviewing law reform over the last 10 years. It is about looking at the criminal justice system as a whole. Looking at the systemic problems in the system that have a negative impact on efficiency and effectiveness, the justice of the system. And in particular, the negative impact on vulnerable populations in the system. Vulnerable populations such as indigenous people as Senator Sinclair indicated. Those who are otherwise marginalized from other minority groups. And those who are suffering from mental illness or addictions. Because as indicated from the previous speakers, the justice system does not work for them. And the question is why and how can that change? And that's what the review is very much about. Promoting restorative justice, but also reconciliation. That is another issue, another mandate issue for the minister of justice. Review the criminal justice system, promote restorative justice. But another one that was mentioned earlier by one Mr. Casey is reconciliation. Reconciliation with Canada's first nations, indigenous people. One of the ideas that has been noted already has been mentioned a couple of times is that in reviewing the criminal justice system, there are some guiding rules, guiding guideposts that are following. The minister has emphasized in a number of his speeches, Mr. Casey has repeated them, that the review should be guided by the importance of decisions. But decisions based on evidence, guided by foundational principles, and informed by broad engagement with stakeholders from all segments of Canada, and not just a few. So let me focus my attention, my remarks this morning, on those three points. Evidence, principles, and engagement. How they apply to restorative justice and how they apply to the criminal justice system review. Much has been said about the importance of government through the evidence-based decision-making. What does this mean? It means having the right data available and ensuring that decisions regarding how the law should be drafted or how resources are spent are based on proof that those decisions are going to make a meaningful difference. The federal government is committed to ensuring that the right information is available to support decision-making and to help guide efforts to reform the criminal justice system. I know that a great deal of evidence has been doubted into the effectiveness of restorative justice in Canada and that more is in the works. For example, officials at the Department of Justice are currently involved in a mapping project to improve our understanding of restorative justice programming in Canada and to provide baseline information. We are trying to get more information on the number of victims and the number of offenders or accused who have been served by an approximately 450 restorative justice programs in place today. And we need more. You'll hear about the work of the Department of Justice later this week. My officials are here to answer any questions about the actual research that has been undertaken. With respect to principles, Minister Wilson-Lago has emphasized that the importance of ensuring we have a system that is just, compassionate, and fair. I've heard those phrases mentioned earlier a couple of times this morning. It's also one, a justice system for Canada is one that also reflects the values of Canadians. But it's also a system that should provide a peaceful, safe, and a prosperous society. A society where we try to lead people to the school door, the factory door, as opposed to the prison door. And it's a proper criminal justice system is not just simply about the process of the justice system. It is part of a larger whole. A whole to reform the Canadian society to make it a peaceful, safe place, usual goals of any kind of criminal justice system. But it's also part of a larger system and that is to make Canada a prosperous country. And it said, send people to the right doors. These are not just lofty ideals, but they're critically important to those directly impacted by the system and for all Canadians, because all Canadians benefit from a properly working justice system, not just those who are in the system. An effective justice system means Canadian communities are safer. It means they are healthier. It means that all citizens are able to contribute in a positive and productive way, at home, at work, and in their neighborhoods. To ensure we have a system that meets our expectations of justice, compassion, and fairness, we must also ensure that it is based upon clear principles. Principles like using restraint, restraint in the use of the criminal law, clarity in the law, accessibility to the justice system are all fundamental to building the system we want and inquire. I should reference two documents that inform the restorative justice responses in Canada over the past few years and also to guide the future. These are the documents, values and principles of restorative justice in criminal matters. In the second document, restorative justice program guidelines for criminal matters, many of you may have seen them. These documents have been updated by the restorative justice working group of the Federal Provincial Network of Officials and the consultation process is currently underway and I'm sure many of you will be involved in the consultation process. Considering the principles that have been guiding restorative justice and the work over the last 30 years, we know that restorative justice process creates an environment where fairness can take responsibility for their actions, provide opportunities for accountability, it helps offenders face those who have been affected by their actions, lets them understand the impact of their actions and enables them to take steps to address the hard-baked costs. And it also provides opportunities for reparation. I did put in place the necessary supports that make the opportunity for accountability possible. With respect to engagement, Minister Wilson Raybold, criminal justice system around tables that Minister Casey has mentioned in which he has participated in a number of, provide an opportunity for diverse groups of justice stakeholders to voice their opinions. What we have heard thus far from the stakeholders is an almost uniform view that transformational change is needed. For example, the Halifax round table that Mr. Casey chaired, excuse me, talked about the development of Nova Scotia's restorative justice program. We heard about the moral entrepreneurship that occurred, the willingness of government leaders to take a risk and the great significance of government and community partnership working together. We've heard about the value of having restorative justice available at all stages of the criminal justice system. And that at times, even where there is the most hard, the possibility of restorative justice is sometimes maybe the most promising and the best use of resources. Engagement can occur in many ways. For example, this week, I am pleased to note that Justice Canada recently released a call for proposals under the Federal Victims Fund. Up to $750,000 will be made available for projects that further strengthen capacity to meet the needs of victims and survivors participating in restorative justice processes or to promote local or visual partnerships. More information about the funding is available on the Justice Canada website or you can speak to Justice Canada officials who are here. Engagement will also take place this week, especially given the new format of this conference. And I look forward to engaging with many of you up in the next two days. In closing, I just want to throw some questions out, some challenges. In addition to the questions posed in our agenda, I would also like to welcome your input and think about the follow-up. Restorative justice has so much to offer to enhance the effectiveness of the system. How can we build confidence in it so that the public understands that it can meet and address the important objectives, including public safety, meeting the needs of victims and ensuring accountability. And that is not simply soft on crime. Second, what are the practical ways of enabling governments and communities to work together in partnership? Third, how do we get the justice system players, crime, police, legal aid, government officials, engaged in using restorative justice processes? How do we make them want to use them, not just simply that they know they can? Fourth, are there legitimate amendments that could be made to the criminal code which would allow for the increased use of restorative justice? Five, what underlying principles could be introduced to encourage restorative justice in the law? And how can we create a presumption to use restorative justice? We have an ambitious agenda before us. I look forward to it and I look forward to hearing your views. Thank you very much. We're invited.