Justice Committee on Feb. 18th, 2021

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Thanks very much.

We have very little time left. I just want ask you this. Since I started working on the issue of coercive controlling behaviour, I discovered that other organizations were already also working on this problem. Can you tell me when the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police started working on this problem of coercive and controlling behaviour?

[Chief Kimberley Greenwood]

The issue of intimate partner violence is something that has been worked on for many years. We have been working on this issue through the community safety, crime prevention and well-being committee for approximately a year. We have ramped up and are doing workshops across the country to ensure that police officers have the right tools and to see what their experiences are so that we are able to support new legislation, which we hope to see through this group.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you very much, Chief.

Thank you, Mr. Garrison.

At this time, I would like to thank all of our witnesses. I really appreciate your testimony. If there are clarifications that you would like to add or any other statements of fact, please do send them over through the clerk. We would be happy to receive them.

At this time, I want to go over something really quickly with our members. Witnesses are free to leave if they would like to.

As members know, Bill C-218 has been referred to our committee at this time. I would like to ask members about this. If we give precedence to bills that are referred to us, should we be going into our bill study first or sticking with our current schedule of COVID and delays in the justice system?

I would propose that if we are going to go to Bill C-218, we can invite the sponsor of the bill for the second hour of the next meeting on Tuesday, then have two meetings with witnesses—two full panels—and then have one meeting on clause-by-clause. I leave it to members to decide if that's the route they would like to go.

Mr. Virani.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

We've just concluded four meetings and the testimony is fresh in our minds. My respectful suggestion would be that we use the time we had allotted next week to wrap up this study and give direction to the analysts, etc. Once that's done, if there's a gap in between when the analysts are bringing back the report, etc. and the final conclusion in tying up this report, we can commence Bill C-218 at that time.

I think two meetings ought to be sufficient. I think there's all-party support for this bill, so it should be a fairly quick analysis of Bill C-218 on safe sports betting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thanks, Mr. Virani.

Just to clarify what we have on the schedule for the next meeting, the first hour is specifically for giving drafting instructions to the analysts for this current report. The second hour was initially being set aside for witnesses for the COVID and justice study, but I'm wondering if we should then invite the sponsor instead.

Mr. Garrison, I saw that your hand was up, but now it's not.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Let me just agree with Mr. Virani. Provided that we take the time next week to give instructions regarding drafting for this report, I'm okay if we move to the study of this bill. It is normal for the committee to give way to consideration of bills.

I think the number of sessions you suggested would be good. While I think we've had some tussling over who gets credit for this bill, I think that, as Mr. Virani says, we have general all-party support for the bill.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Mr. Moore, do you want to weigh in here?

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Madam Chair, what is your suggestion regarding the timing for Bill C-218 in terms of days of study? You're suggesting the first hour would be the second hour of our meeting on Tuesday, and then we'd have a full meeting on—

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

I'd say two full meetings after that.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

So there would be two and a half meetings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

That would be just for witnesses, and then we'd need one meeting for clause-by-clause.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

That sounds fine to me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

That would be a total of 12 witnesses plus the sponsor, so 13 witnesses in total. The sponsor would be invited for Tuesday in the second hour, from 12:00 to 1:00. Then we can go into the 25th. We would basically do clause-by-clause on March 11 and complete the study at that time.

Mr. Moore.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

We can have a subcommittee meeting on this, but I'm presuming that would mean that after we deal with Bill C-218 we would then return to our previous schedule for COVID-related impacts on the justice system.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Absolutely.

Can I ask members for a—

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Madam Chair, I have a question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Mr. Fortin, you have the floor.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Have we set a date for the next subcommittee meeting?

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

The next thing, as I had outlined in our last meeting, is that on Tuesday coming, in the first hour, we'll be giving drafting instructions to the analysts for this study on domestic violence. For the second hour, I am proposing that we invite the sponsor of Bill C-218, Mr. Waugh, to come and speak to his private member's bill. Then, we will have two further meetings on Bill C-218, then one for clause-by-clause, and then we will get back to our established schedule.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

My question was about a possible meeting of the subcommittee to set a schedule. If I understand correctly, no meeting has been scheduled yet.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

We just did that. That's what I was hoping for, to save some time by doing it now.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I would like us to schedule a subcommittee meeting next week to discuss my motion to form a special committee.

It is a recommendation to the House to form a special committee on the appointment of judges. I would like to discuss it in subcommittee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

I will look through the schedule to see if we can find an opening for a subcommittee meeting. At this time, it seems that it is not going to be possible as we are giving drafting instructions and then starting the study on Bill C-218. However, we will absolutely make sure that you have ample opportunity in a steering meeting to speak to your motion as well.

I understand the limitations on time right now. I just want to quickly see, Monsieur Fortin, if Monday the 22nd by noon is okay for witnesses from each party. With the 12 witnesses, excluding Mr. Waugh as the sponsor, it would be four witnesses for the Conservatives, four for the Liberals, two for the NDP and two for the Bloc.

Are we agreed on that breakdown for Monday, February 22 at 12 noon?

Monsieur Fortin.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

The next meeting was not scheduled for Monday, but for Tuesday.