THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
OTTAWA, Thursday, November 26, 2020
(5)
[English]
Pursuant to the order of the Senate of November 17, 2020, the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs met this day in room C128, Senate of Canada Building, and with videoconference at 10:01 a.m. (ET), the chair, the Honourable Mobina S. B. Jaffer, presiding.
Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Batters, Boisvenu and Campbell (3).
Members of the committee present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators Boniface, Carignan, P.C., Cotter, Dalphond, Dupuis, Gold, P.C., Jaffer, Keating, Kutcher, Pate, Petitclerc and Plett (12).
Other senators present: The Honourable Senator Woo (1).
Other senators present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators McCallum, Miville-Dechêne, Moodie (3).
Participating in the meeting: Shaila Anwar, Deputy Principal Clerk, Joëlle Nadeau and Evelyne Côté, Procedural Clerks, Committees Directorate; Michaela Keenan-Pelletier and Julian Walker, Analysts, Parliamentary Information and Research Services, Library of Parliament.
Also present: The official reporters of the Senate.
Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, the committee continued its examination of the subject matter of Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying).
APPEARING (by videoconference):
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
WITNESSES (by videoconference):
Employment and Social Development Canada:
Krista Wilcox, Director General, Office for Disability Issues.
As an individual:
Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Professor, Community Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.
Collège des médecins du Québec:
Dr. Yves Robert, Secretary of the Order;
Dr. Isabelle Tardif, Deputy Director General and Assistant Secretary.
British Columbia Civil Liberties Association:
Grace Pastine, Litigation Director.
As individuals:
Dr. Ewan Goligher, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto;
Dr. François Primeau, Clinical professor, Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia;
Vince Calderhead, Lawyer, Pink Larkin;
Dr. Harvey Schipper, Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Toronto;
Robyn Boucher, Intern, University of Toronto.
Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia:
Claire McNeil, Lawyer, Dalhousie Legal Aid Service.
British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society:
Neil Belanger, Executive Director.
Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada:
Dr. Cornelia Wieman, President.
Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association:
Marilee Nowgesic, Executive Director.
Alberta Health Services:
Dr. Alika Lafontaine, Physician and Medical Lead, Aboriginal Health Program, North Zone.
The chair made a statement.
At 10:05 a.m., the committee suspended.
At 10:07 a.m., the committee resumed.
The minister made a statement and answered questions.
At 11:43 a.m., the committee suspended.
At 11:44 a.m., the Honourable Senator Keating replaced the Honourable Senator Kutcher as member of the committee.
At 12:19 p.m., the Honourable Senator Boniface replaced the Honourable Senator Petitclerc as member of the committee.
At 1:03 p.m., the committee resumed.
Dr. Bourassa, Dr. Robert and Ms. Pastine made statements and answered questions.
Dr. Goligher, Dr. Primeau and Dr. Bouchard made statements and answered questions.
At 3:15 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 4:01 p.m., the committee resumed.
Mr. Calderhead, Dr. Schipper and Ms. McNeil made statements and answered questions.
At 5:02 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 5:07 p.m., the committee resumed.
Mr. Belanger, Dr. Wieman, Dr. Lafontaine and Ms. Nowgesic made statements and answered questions.
At 6:24 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.
ATTEST:
Mark Palmer
Clerk of the committee