Justice Committee on Nov. 20th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. This is meeting number 53 of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. We're dealing with Standing Order 108(2) and we are studying the proposals for a miscellaneous statute law amendment act. These are proposals for the act. This isn't the act itself. Hey, I'm learning.

As you know, we've had a discussion. I want to thank the officials for joining us again on this particular item. The way it works, just to remind the committee, is that if there are things in the package that you do not want, you just say so. We need unanimous consent, basically, to move it forward. If it doesn't get moved forward, it doesn't get into the legislation that will be developed from it. The stuff that does get moved forward is built into a very exciting piece of legislation. That is it.

At the end of the day, there will be a motion from me that the chair report that the committee has studied the miscellaneous act, and that the chair report the proposals to the House. That's what will happen.

I've heard from a number of members that they don't want any particular changes, so to keep it simple, I'm going to go to things you would like pulled.

Does anyone want anything to be pulled from the package?

By the way, thank you, officials, for making sure we got the answers to the questions that were previously presented. We made sure all committee members had those.

Is there anything you'd like pulled or any questions?

Monsieur Goguen.

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Based on the great response we got there and our review of them, there's nothing we'd like pulled.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

The Conservatives are not pulling anything.

Madame Boivin.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

I would like to thank the people from the Library of Parliament. I have the impression that everything will go so quickly that we won't have an opportunity to do so later. They did some background work at the start that enabled us to analyze the proposal more intelligently.

I would also like to thank you for the answers you had sent to us. Considerable organizational work had to be done so that we would feel comfortable with this. The only comment I would make is that in the future, there should be less time between. The documents might not be as long during the study. So the work should be done at shorter intervals.

Unless my colleague has a major objection, I would say that, given the answers we read, everything seems fine to the New Democrats.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Thank you, madam.

Mr. Casey, you have the floor.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

On October 8, before the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Senator Joyal asked a question with respect to the Canada Shipping Act, and more particularly clause 24 of this statute before us. The response from Mr. Lachance is as follows:

We recommend conducting a more thorough analysis....we are asking that you not approve it and that you give us more time to analyze the overall impact.

I expect you're probably aware of that. Is it still your view that we should recommend to you that we not go forward with clause 24?

[Jean-Charles Bélanger, Deputy Chief Legislative Counsel, Legislation Section, Department of Justice]

Yes. We will defer to the statements of the Department of Transport representative.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

We have nothing to add to what is already there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Do you have an answer for that? I have a funny note here beside clause 24.

Monsieur Bélanger, do you have an answer to that?

[Claudette Rondeau, Special Advisor and Legal Counsel, Office of the Chief Legislative Counsel, Legislative Services Branch, Department of Justice]

The question was on the removal of clause 24.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Clause 24 was discussed by the senator. The response to the senator's inquiry was, “Please don't move it forward”. Is that not correct?

I'm just saying that the package we have here still has clause 24 in it.

[Jean-Charles Bélanger]

It does.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Right. Would you say it is accurate that this committee should also remove it?

[Jean-Charles Bélanger]

Yes. We stand by the answer that was provided by the representative of the Minister of Transport.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Okay, so clause 24 needs to be removed. Is that correct?

[Jean-Charles Bélanger]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Thank you.

Are you moving the removal of clause 24?

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I am. Yes, please.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Okay.

On clause 24, we need unanimous consent so it's not there.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

So everything else but clause 24 is in the package. Are there any other questions?

Seeing none, I need a motion that the chair report that the committee has studied the proposals for a miscellaneous statute law amendment act, 2014, as amended, and that the chair report the proposals to the House in the eighth report of the committee. I'll do that next week.

(Motion agreed to)

Thank you very much. That ends this meeting.

We will go to the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. Anyone who is not on the subcommittee is allowed to go.

The meeting is adjourned.