The Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples is studying the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada, with the intention of establishing what a new relationship might look like in the future. The committee released its interim report, How Did We Get Here? A concise, unvarnished account of the history of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada, on … Read more
The Senate Committee on Official Languages presented its fourth interim report, entitled Modernizing the Official Languages Act: The Views of the Justice Sector. The report finds that greater consistency is needed between the provisions of the act that deal with legislative and judicial bilingualism. This means improving existing practices and defining new ones in the act and reviewing … Read more
Independent Senator André Pratte expressed his great disappointment with the decisions made by the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. These have had the effect of significantly weakening Bill C-71 on gun control. “By amending the bill as it did, the majority of the committee went against the fundamental purpose of the bill, which … Read more
At the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence’s clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-71, An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms, Senator Marilou McPhedran, moved to amend clause 16 that already proposes to amend subsection 84(1) of the Criminal Code – exactly the subsection that could also be amended to … Read more
Senator Pierre J. Dalphond joined doctors and health professionals taking part in the National Day of Action calling for stricter gun laws in Ottawa. Organized by Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, this event also took place in 13 Canadian cities across Canada: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Kingston, Barrie / Midhurst, Halifax, Saint John, … Read more
The Senate Committee on Human Rights will study the difficulty Canadians experience while travelling through Canada’s airports when their names are the same or similar to those of people on the national ‘no-fly’ list. The study will focus on the difficulties that families face when their children cannot check in because someone else with the same … Read more
The Senate Committee on Human Rights will study the forced and coerced sterilization of persons in Canada, particularly Indigenous women. With limited time before the end of the 42nd Parliament, the committee is launching a preliminary investigatory study to uncover the scope of the problem and identify other people who may have been affected. The committee is … Read more
The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration announced the appointment of Philippe Hallée as Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel. Hallée will assume his new position on April 22, 2019. The full release is available online. Call 613-943-6269.
The Senate Subcommittee on Human Resources has completed its extensive review of the Senate’s anti-harassment policy and released detailed recommendations aimed at deterring and eradicating workplace harassment and violence. The review was prompted in part by the introduction of Bill C-65, which modified the Canada Labour Code and the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act to impose specific employer duties … Read more
Citing the impact of the “inconsistency in how our fellow citizens are treated”, Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe will table a Notice of Inquiry in the Senate into a federal government policy that allows a $47.75 toll on Confederation Bridge in Prince Edward Island, meanwhile cancelling the proposed toll on the new replacement Champlain Bridge in … Read more
