Video broadcasting of Senate Chamber proceedings will begin on Monday, March 18, 2019 at 6 p.m., marking the first time in the Senate’s history that Canadians will be able to regularly watch senators at work in the Chamber. The decision to allow for video broadcasting is part of the Senate’s continuing commitment to transparency and … Read more
Independent Senator Murray Sinclair issued a statement: “With the introduction by the Government of Canada of Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, Canada has signaled its intent to address the over-representation of Indigenous children in care,” he said. “In my view however, it can be improved in significant ways, and … Read more
A decade after the global financial crisis shook the world economy, risks to the Canadian financial sector remain, the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce said in a recently released report. Witnesses said the shadow banking sector — businesses like hedge funds and investment banks that conduct banking-like activities outside of the traditional regulatory environment … Read more
Liberal Senator Percy Downe introduced a Notice of Inquiry in the Senate calling attention of the Chamber to what he described as “the regrettable failure of the Senate, on occasion, to perform its important duty of providing careful review of legislation” with particular emphasis on the experience of the passing of the New Veterans Charter … Read more
The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages’ released its interim report entitled Modernizing the Official Languages Act: The Views of Stakeholders Who Have Witnessed the Evolution of the Act. The report includes witness testimony from former community organization representatives, judges, commissioners and public servants, current politicians, researchers and representatives of the province of New Brunswick. The full release is available … Read more
The federal government should urge the international community to hold accountable those responsible for crimes recognized under international law, including the crime of genocide, perpetrated against the Rohingya in Myanmar, said the Senate Committee on Human Rights in its report released February 21. Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, committee chair, stated “The violent persecution of the Rohingya is … Read more
The people serving sentences in Canada’s federal correctional system for indictable offenses are human beings whose human rights must be respected, the Senate Committee on Human Rights said in an interim report released February 20. This interim report provides an overview of evidence the committee has heard and received, and it focuses on issues related to … Read more
Senator Doug Black has heard first hand from many groups and stakeholders that Bill C-69 needs amendments and the desire to propose amendments to the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources. “There is a great interest to dialogue with the Senate Energy committee and on a matter so important to our … Read more
George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Commons Geoff Regan (Halifax West, N.S.) would like to congratulate Chief Superintendent Jane MacLatchy, Director of the Parliamentary Protective Service, on her upcoming appointment as Assistant Commissioner and Commanding Officer of RCMP “D” Division based in Winnipeg, Man. Superintendent Marie-Claude Côté, Officer in Charge … Read more
Senator Thanh Hai Ngo issued the following Statement regarding Vietnam’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review before the United Nations Human Rights Council on January 22, 2019: “Vietnam’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review is a significant opportunity for Canada to take a stronger stance on the dire human rights situation in Vietnam. Basic civil and political rights, including … Read more
