Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Legal and Constitutional Affairs

Issue 1 - First Report of the Committee

Thursday, March 18, 2010

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

FIRST REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate to incur expenses for the purpose of its examination and consideration of such legislation and other matters as were referred to it, reports, pursuant to Rule 104, that the expenses incurred by the committee during the Second Session of the Fortieth Parliament are as follows:

1. With respect to its examination of Legislation:

Transportation & Communications	$ —
Professional and Other Services	—
All other expenditures	398
Witness Expenses	33,470
TOTAL	$ 33,868

2. With respect to its Special Study on An Act to amend the National Defence Act (court martial):

Transportation & Communications	$ —
Professional and Other Services	984
All other expenditures	—
Witness Expenses	1,108
TOTAL	$ 2,092

3. With respect to its Special Study on DNA Identification Act:

Transportation & Communications	$ 690
Professional and Other Services	470
All other expenditures	—
Witness Expenses	5,141
TOTAL	$ 6,301

4. Wit respect to its Special Study on the motion to concur in passage of the Official Languages Act by the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut:

Transportation & Communications	$ —
Professional and Other Services	—
All other expenditures	—
Witness Expenses	1,250
TOTAL	$ 1,250

In addition to the expenses for the examination of legislation and for the special studies as set out above, your committee also incurred general postal charges in the amount of $62.

During the Second Session of the Fortieth Parliament, your committee received 16 orders of reference, held 44 meetings, heard more than 98.6 hours of testimony from 170 witnesses and submitted 12 reports in relation to its work.

Your committee examined 12 bills, two of which were reported without amendment: Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants) and Bill C-39, An Act to amend the Judges Act.

In addition, your committee reported the following bills with amendments: Bill C-15, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts; Bill C-25, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (limiting credit for time spent in pre-sentencing custody; Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (suicide bombings) and Bill S-4, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (identity theft and related misconduct).

In addition, your committee produced 2 reports on special studies.

Your committee presented the final report in its study on the motion to concur in the June 4, 2008 passage of the Official Languages Act by the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, in accordance with section 38 of the Nunavut Act, chapter 28 of the Statutes of Canada, 1993, entitled Language Rights in Canada's North: "Nunavut's New Official Languages Act".

Your committee presented the final report in its study on the provisions and operation of An Act to amend the National Defence Act (court martial) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act (S.C. 2008, c. 29). entitled Equal Justice: "Reforming Canada's System of Courts Martial".

Respectfully submitted,

JOAN FRASER

Chair