Evidence of meeting #49 for Justice and Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was extradition.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Anand Doobay  As an Individual
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Jean-François Lafleur
Michelyne C. St-Laurent  Lawyer, As an Individual

4:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Anand Doobay

That's entirely correct. They're political in the sense that specialty relations are countries [Technical difficulty—Editor], so it's one country saying to the other, “We will only prosecute for these things.” The death penalty requires an assurance, a diplomatic assurance, if there's a risk of one country saying to the U.K., “We won't impose a death penalty.” If there's been an earlier extradition request from another country, then it's the [Technical difficulty—Editor] competing international obligations.

If that's right, everything else has now been moved to the courts. That's happened probably over a period of time, but it's now completely clear that all of the rest of it is held by the court to deal with.

4:50 p.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Is there any recourse to the courts after a decision of the minister on those cases?

4:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Anand Doobay

Yes, in fact, [Technical difficulty—Editor] where any appeal is heard after the minister has made a decision. You have to wait for any appeal until the court has decided and the minister has decided. Once the minister has decided, then you can appeal again either or both of those decisions, but the appeal happens at the same time.

4:50 p.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Randeep Sarai

Thank you, Mr. Garrison.

That concludes our first hour of this meeting. I want to thank both witnesses for their very important testimonies.

We will now suspend for a minute or two while we go in camera for committee business.

[Proceedings continue in camera]