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01:24:10

In Committee from the House of Commons

Justice and Human Rights – November 2, 2023

MPs meet to study the nomination of Mary T. Moreau to the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Minister Arif Virani appears and answers questions. Appearing as a witness is Wade MacLauchlan (Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments).
02:02:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Committee Examines the Impact of the COVID-19 on the Justice System

Justice and Human Rights: April 29, 2021: The committee examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the justice system. Appearing at the committee are Todd McCarthy (barrister and solicitor); Joshua Sealy-Harrington (Ryerson University); Joanne Hardie (Professional Transcriptionists and Court Reporters Association of Ontario); John Struthers and Daniel Brown (Criminal Lawyers' Association of Ontario); and Drew Lafond (Indigenous Bar Association in Canada).
01:45:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Justice Minister Lametti on Spending Estimates for 2020-2021

Justice and Human Rights - March 11, 2021: The committee examines main estimates 2021-22 for the Department of Justice. Appearing at the committee are David Lametti, the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, as well as department officials Nathalie G. Drouin, François Daigle, Bill Kroll, and Elizabeth Hendy.
01:58:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

Study of Bill C-218, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Sports Betting)

Justice and Human Rights - March 9, 2021: The committee continued its study of Bill C-218, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sports betting). Also speaking to the committee are Chris Lewis (as an individual); William Ford (Racetracks of Canada Inc); Jim Lawson, Christina Litz (Woodbine Entertainment Group); Stewart Groumoutis, Dr. Jamie Wiebe (British Columbia Lottery Corporation); Murielle Thomassin(Club Jockey du Québec); Sue Leslie, Ian Howard, Member (Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario).
02:04:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

Ministers Chagger and Lametti on Conversion Therapy Bill

Justice and Human Rights - December 1, 2020: Ministers Bardish Chagger (Diversity and Inclusion and Youth) and David Lametti (Justice) face questions over Bill C-6, legislation to amend the Criminal Code regarding banning conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is a practice that tries to change an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. The practice has largely discriminated against members of the LGBTQ community, mainly targeting youth. Also speaking to the committee are the Department of Justice’s François Daigle; CT Survivors’ Matt Ashcroft; MacEwan University’s Dr. Kristopher Wells; the University of Toronto’s Dr. Kenneth J. Zucker; as well as Pour les Droits des Femmes du Québec’s Ghislaine Gendron and Dr. James Cantor.
02:07:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Assisted Dying Bill: Clause-by-Clause Review

Justice and Human Rights – November 17, 2020: The committee proceeds to its clause-by-clause review of Bill C-7, the government’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation. The act would amend the Criminal Code to remove the requirement for a person’s natural death to be reasonably foreseeable in order to qualify for MAID, and would create a two-track approach based on whether or not a person’s death is foreseeable. Assisting the committee in their review is the Department of Justice's Joanne Klineberg.
02:12:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

MAID Law: Trio of Cabinet Ministers Take Questions

Justice and Human Rights - November 3, 2020: Justice Minister David Lametti, Health Minister Patty Hajdu, and Employment and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough discuss Bill C-7, the government’s latest amendments to Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) law. In September 2019, a Quebec court ruled that the law restricting MAID access to those only with a “reasonably foreseeable” death was unconstitutional. The court ruling would mean Quebec would have different MAID rules from the rest of Canada unless the federal government amended the law. The federal government announced changes to Canada’s MAID laws in February, by expanding access to those who aren’t facing a “reasonably foreseeable” death. Also speaking to the committee are physicians Dr. Ramona Coelho and Dr. Tanja Daws; Dying With Dignity Canada’s Helen Long and James Cowan, a former senator; as well as Quebec Association for the Right to Die with Dignity’s Dr. Georges L'Espérance.
02:08:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Justice Minister David Lametti Discusses Main Estimates

Justice and Human Rights - October 29, 2020: Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti faces questions from committee members over his departmental budgets outlined in the 2020-2021 main estimates and supplementary estimates. The minister discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the work of his department and other federal agencies under his purview. Also speaking to the committee are Arif Virani (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada) and Nathalie G. Drouin (Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada, the Department of Justice).
01:48:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

Minister Lametti on Sexual Assault Training Bill

Justice and Human Rights - March 10, 2020: Justice Minister David Lametti appears before the committee to discuss Bill C-5, an Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code. If passed, the bill would make newly appointed provincial superior court judges receive training on sexual assault law and social context. The bill would also require the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) to report on the participation of all superior court judges in sexual assault law education, and would ensure judges provide reasons on the record for how they rule in sexual assault cases. Also appearing before the committee on the first panel are the CJC’s J. Michael MacDonald and the National Judicial Institute’s Adèle Kent. Appearing alongside the minister on the second panel are the Department of Justice’s Nancy Othmer and Stephen Zaluski.
01:31:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

MPs Meet to Discuss Nicholas Kasirer's Supreme Court of Canada Nomination

Justice and Human Rights - July 25, 2019: Justice Minister David Lametti and former prime minister Kim Campbell, who chairs the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments, answer questions regarding Nicholas Kasirer's nomination to the Supreme Court of Canada and the selection process. Lametti is also questioned over recent leaks of confidential deliberations between then-justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017 over the appointment of Canada’s new chief justice. The opposition moves a motion to have the committee study the appointment leak, but the motion is defeated. In 2016, the Liberal government launched a new Supreme Court appointment process to encourage more openness and transparency, and to reflect Canada's diversity. Candidates must submit an application and be functionally bilingual.
01:04:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Online Hate Speech & Expunging Michael Cooper’s Comments

Justice and Human Rights - June 4, 2019: MPs start off the session debating a motion to expunge comments made by Conservative MP Michael Cooper at the committee’s meeting last week. During the May 28th meeting of the House Justice committee, Cooper read from the Christchurch mosque shooter’s terrorist manifesto and told a witness that they “should be ashamed” of themselves. Committee members then vote to make the rest of their meeting audio only, where media personalities Lindsay Shepherd, John Robson and Mark Steyn raise concerns over the criminal code’s handling of hate speech. The discussion revolves around publication bans on social media, materials of misrepresentation and government censorship.
00:25:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

Opposition Seeks Further Testimony from Wilson-Raybould

Justice and Human Rights - March 13, 2019: Members of the House of Commons justice committee hold an emergency meeting, at which opposition members are expected to call for further testimony from Jody Wilson-Raybould. The former justice minister and attorney general testified on February 27 as part of the committee's study of the SNC-Lavalin controversy, and has indicated she is willing to return if requested. The committee was scheduled to convene on March 19 to consider further witnesses.
02:39:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

SNC-Lavalin: Privy Council Clerk and Deputy Justice Minister Testify

Justice and Human Rights - March 6, 2019 - Part 2: Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, makes his second appearance before the House of Commons justice committee as it continues its study into alleged political interference in the SNC-Lavalin case. Nathalie Drouin, the deputy justice minister and deputy attorney general, also testifies. The Prime Minister's Office faces allegations it asked Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec construction and engineering firm. Wilson-Raybould was shuffled out of the justice portfolio in January and quit cabinet on February 12th.
02:35:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

SNC-Lavalin: Gerald Butts Testifies at Justice Committee

Justice and Human Rights - March 6, 2019 - Part 1: Gerald Butts, the former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, appears before the House of Commons justice committee as it continues its study into alleged political interference in the SNC-Lavalin case. The Prime Minister's Office faces allegations it asked Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec construction and engineering firm. Wilson-Raybould was shuffled out of the justice portfolio in January and quit cabinet on February 12th. Butts resigned from his role in the Prime Minister’s Office on February 18th amid ongoing fallout from the SNC-Lavalin controversy.
00:34:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

Government's Anti-Bestiality Bill: Clause-by-Clause Review

Justice and Human Rights - February 21, 2019 - Part 1: The committee proceeds to its clause-by-clause review of Bill C-84, the government’s animal protection legislation. The bill will update the Criminal Code to define ‘bestiality’ so as to ensure that all contact between a human and an animal for sexual purposes would be prohibited. Assisting in the clause-by-clause review are the Department of Justice’s Paula Clarke and Carole Morency.
01:17:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Justice Minister David Lametti Appears At Committee on SNC-Lavalin Controversy

Justice and Human Rights - February 21, 2019 - Part 2: Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti appears before the committee as it launches its probe into the SNC-Lavalin controversy. MPs also hear from deputy justice minister Nathalie Drouin. The Prime Minister's Office faces allegations it asked Lametti's predecessor Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin.
02:46:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

MPs Call for Investigation into PMO/SNC-Lavalin Affair

Justice and Human Rights - February 13, 2019: The committee holds an emergency meeting on the PMO/SNC-Lavalin controversy. Four committee members are requesting a study into allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office asked former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin.
01:00:30

In Committee from the House of Commons

Justice Minister Outlines Govt's Anti-Bestiality Bill

Justice and Human Rights - January 31, 2019: Justice Minister David Lametti makes his first committee appearance in his new position to provide an overview of the government's animal protection legislation. Bill C-84 will update the Criminal Code to broaden the definition of bestiality and ensure that all contact between a human and an animal for sexual purpose would be prohibited. The legislation is responding to a 2016 Supreme Court decision that concluded penetration is necessary for a bestiality charge. The bill also includes measures to prohibit activities associated with animal fighting. Lametti's predecessor Jody Wilson-Raybould introduced the bill in October 2018.
01:06:00

In Committee from the House of Commons

Justice Minister Questioned on Proposed Overhaul of Canada's Divorce Act

Justice and Human Rights - November 5, 2018: Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould discusses the federal government's proposed overhaul of Canada's Divorce Act. The legislation marks the first substantial update to federal family laws in 20 years. Bill C-78 aims to ensure a child’s best interest is the top priority in family law decisions. It proposes changes to the wording used to describe parenting arrangements by adopting more neutral terminology. It also aims to address family violence and to reduce child poverty by enforcing child support.
02:09:29

In Committee from the House of Commons

Criminal Justice Reform: Police Accountability and Victims' Rights

Justice and Human Rights - September 25, 2018 - Part 2: MPs hear submissions about police accountability and the rights of victims for the committee’s study on Bill C-75, the government’s legislation to overhaul the Criminal Code and Youth Justice Act. Participating in the study are the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition’s John Sewel; Joel Hechter; the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel’s Rick Woodburn; the Manitoba Organization for Victim Assistance’s Karen Wiebe; the Association des familles de personnes assassinées ou disparues’ Nancy Roy and Bruno Serre; Maureen Basnicki; the Royal Military College of Canada’s Christian Leuprecht; as well as the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Julia Beazley.