Bill C-551 (Historical)

Prevention of Torture Act

An Act prohibiting the commission, abetting or exploitation of torture by Canadian officials and ensuring freedom from torture for all Canadians at home and abroad and making consequential amendments to other Acts

This bill was last introduced in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in September 2008.

Sponsor

Dawn Black  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Second reading (House), as of June 6, 2008
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment strengthens Canada's protection against torture by making it a criminal offence to use information known to be derived from torture; prohibiting Canadian officials from handing over prisoners to be tortured at home or abroad; creating a government watch list of countries known to engage in torture and providing for those countries to be treated accordingly in matters relating to information-sharing and deportation and extradition from Canada; placing a duty on officials to report knowledge of torture to the proper authorities; and establishing diplomatic protocols for the immediate repatriation of any Canadian citizen at risk of torture abroad, without undermining our ability to investigate and prosecute those citizens in Canada.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Prevention of Torture ActRoutine Proceedings

May 27th, 2008 / 10:10 a.m.
See context

NDP

Dawn Black NDP New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-551, An Act prohibiting the commission, abetting or exploitation of torture by Canadian officials and ensuring freedom from torture for all Canadians at home and abroad and making consequential amendments to other Acts.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a comprehensive private member's bill on the issue of torture and the use of information derived from torture. I appreciate the support of my colleague from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek in seconding this bill.

This bill would make it a criminal offence to use information known to be derived from torture. It would prohibit Canadian officials from transferring prisoners who would be in danger of torture abroad. It would create a government watch list of countries known to engage in torture. It also would prevent the use of national security provisions in the Access to Information Act from withholding information to this House or to the Canadian public about torture, which is something that was front page news for many months this spring in respect to detainees in Afghanistan.

I want to express my thanks to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, particularly Jason Gratl, for their help in drafting this bill.

I call upon all members of the House to support this proposal when it comes before the House.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)