Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Legal and Constitutional Affairs

Issue 61 - Twenty-seventh Report of the Committee

TUESDAY, April 22, 1997

The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its

TWENTY-SEVENTH REPORT

Your Committee, to which was referred Bill C-55, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (high risk offenders), the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Criminal Records Act, the Prisons and Reformatories Act and the Department of the Solicitor General Act, has, in obedience to the Order of Reference of Thursday, April 17, 1997, examined the said Bill and now reports the same without amendment but with the following observation:

Your ommittee understands that, due to limited correctional system resources, priority for treatment may be given to those offenders who are approaching parole eligibility. As a result, your Committee is concerned that the treatment of dangerous offenders may be further delayed by Bill C-55 amendments that will extend their parole ineligibility period from three to seven years. Accordingly, your committee urges the Solicitor General to monitor the effects of Bill C-55 to ensure that there are sufficient resources in place to provide dangerous offenders with adequate and timely access to treatment.

Respectfully submitted,

SHARON CARSTAIRS

Chair