Studies & Bills

Orders of Reference

An order of reference is a decision of the Senate authorizing a committee to undertake the study of an issue, bill or other matter. Most committees require an order of reference before they can undertake such work. However, three committees are empowered by the Rules of the Senate to act on their own initiative without a prior order of reference from the Senate. These are the Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament; the Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; and the Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators.

Studies & Bills	Order of Reference	Session	note	note
Bill C-26, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (auto theft and trafficking in property obtained by crime)	2009-10-29	40-2
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 10:50 AM Superintendent Michel Aubin, Director General (Criminal Intelligence Service Canada) Detective Sergeant Stephen Boyd, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (Ontario Provincial Police) Inspector Wayne Holland, Officer in charge of Project Impact (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Chief Superintendent Joe Oliver, Director General Border Integrity (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
Government Response, dated October 22, 2009, to the fifth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, entitled "Equal Justice: Reforming Canada’s System of Courts Martial", tabled in the Senate on May 5, 2009	2009-10-22	40-2
Bill S-226, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (lottery schemes)	2009-09-29	40-2
Bill C-15, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts	2009-09-17	40-2
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 10:52 AM Paul Saint-Denis, Senior Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 4:05 PM Lynne Belle-Isle, Programs Consultant, National Programs (Canadian AIDS Society) Jeet-Kei Leung, Communications Coordinator (BC Compassion Club Society) Philippe Lucas, Founder/Executive Director (Vancouver Island Compassion Society) Paul Saint-Denis, Senior Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Kirk Tousaw, Executive Director (Beyond Prohibition Foundation) Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 10:52 AM Glen Greenwald (Cato Institute) Rebecca Jesseman, Research and Policy Advisor (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse) Rita Notarandrea, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse) Michel Perron, Chief Executive Officer (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse) Amy Porath-Waller, Senior Research and Policy Advisor (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse) Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 4:13 PM Line Beauchesne, Professor, University of Ottawa (As an individual) David Bratzer, Canadian Representative (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) John Conroy, Lawyer (As an individual) Lucie Joncas, President (Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies) Craig Jones, Executive Director (The John Howard Society of Canada) Howard Sapers, Correctional Investigator of Canada (Office of the Correctional Investigator) Ivan Zinger, Executive Director and General Counsel (Office of the Correctional Investigator) Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 10:57 AM Neil Boyd, Professor, Simon Fraser University (As an individual) Benedikt Fischer, Professor, Simon Fraser University (As an individual) Don Head, Commissioner (Correctional Service of Canada) Thomas Kerr, Research Scientist (BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS) Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 4:05 PM James Bonta, Director, Corrections Research, Corrections Research Unit (Public Safety Canada) Guy Bourgon, Senior Research Officer, Corrections Research Unit (Public Safety Canada) Chuck Doucette, Vice-President (Drug Prevention Network of Canada) Dr. Brian Emerson, Chair, Psychoactive Substances Committee (Health Officers Council of British Columbia) Jane Hazel, Director General of Marketing and Communications Services Directorate (Health Canada) Elizabeth Hendy, Director, Policy Implementation Directorate (Department of Justice Canada) Catherine MacLeod, Senior Director General, Regions and Programs Branch (Health Canada) Kelly Morton-Bourgon, Senior Researcher, Research and Statistics Division (Department of Justice Canada) Cathy Sabiston, Director General, Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate (Health Canada) Daniel Sansfaçon, Director, Policy, Research and Evaluation, National Crime Prevention Centre (Public Safety Canada) Paul Wheatley, Director, Evaluation Division (Department of Justice Canada) Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 10:50 AM Dr. Gabor Maté (As an individual) Wayne Skinner, Deputy Clinical Director, Addictions Program (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 4:06 PM Justice Micheline Corbeil-Laramée (retired) (As an individual) His Worship Peter Fassbender, Mayor (City of Langley, BC) Chief Len Garis (Surrey Fire Services) Ray Massicotte, Member of Board of Directors of CPA (Canadian Police Association (CPA)) Charles Momy, President (Canadian Police Association (CPA)) Eugene Oscapella, Professor, University of Ottawa, Department of Criminology (As an individual) Joëlle Roy, Vice-President (Association québécoise des avocats et avocates de la défense) Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 10:50 AM James Morton, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School (As an individual) Darryl Plecas, Director, Centre for Criminal Justice Research, University of the Fraser Valley (As an individual) Elizabeth Sheehy, Professor, University of Ottawa (As an individual) Scott Wheildon, Lawyer (As an individual) Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 4:03 PM Sharon Dolovich, Professor, Georgetown Law (As an individual) Michael Jacobson, Director (Vera Institute of Justice) Marc Mauer, Executive Director (The Sentencing Project) Mary Price, Vice President (Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)) Eric Sterling, President (Criminal Justice Policy Foundation) Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 10:53 AM Lynn Barr-Telford, Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Jamie Chaffe, President (Canadian Association of Crown Counsel) Mia Dauvergne, Senior Analyst, Policing Services Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Craig Grimes, Unit Head, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 5:02 PM Superintendent Bill Malone, Director, Organized Crime (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Deputy Chief Sue O'Sullivan (Ottawa Police Service) Chief Superintendent Pierre Perron, Director General, Criminal Intelligence (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Paul Saint-Denis, Senior Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Inspector Jill Skinner (Ottawa Police Service) Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 10:48 AM The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (As an Individual) Phil Downes, Representative (Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers) Howard L. Krongold, Representative (Criminal Lawyers' Association) Greg Yost, Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada)
Bill S-209, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children)	2009-06-22	40-2
Bill C-25, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (limiting credit for time spent in pre-sentencing custody)	2009-06-16	40-2
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 4:09 PM Catherine Kane, Acting Director General and Senior General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 10:50 AM The Honourable Dave Chomiak, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Manitoba () The Honourable Alison Redford, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Alberta (As an Individual) Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 4:06 PM Don Head, Commissioner (Correctional Service of Canada) Lucie Joncas, President (Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies) Craig Jones, Executive Director (The John Howard Society of Canada) Kim Pate, Executive Director (Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies) Howard Sapers, Correctional Investigator (Office of the Correctional Investigator) Ivan Zinger, Executive Director and General Counsel (Office of the Correctional Investigator) Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:52 AM Anthony N. Doob, Professor, University of Toronto (As an individual) Allan Manson, Professor, Queen's University, Faculty of Law (As an individual) Julian Roberts, Professor, University of Oxford, Centre of Criminology (As an individual) Cheryl Webster, Professor, University of Ottawa, Department of Criminology (As an individual) Michael Weinrath, Professor, University of Winnipeg (As an individual) Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 4:09 PM The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (As an Individual) Lynn Barr-Telford, Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Jamie Chaffe, President (Canadian Association of Crown Counsel) Eric Gottardi, Secretary, National Criminal Justice Section (Canadian Bar Association) Craig Grimes, Senior Analyst, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Catherine Kane, Acting Director General and Senior General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Rebecca Kong, Chief, Correctional Services Section, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Mark A. Lapowich, Representative (Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers) Gaylene Schellenberg, Lawyer, Legislation and Law Reform (Canadian Bar Association) Michael Spratt, Member (Criminal Lawyers' Association) Matthias Villetorte, Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada)
Bill C-39, An Act to amend the Judges Act	2009-06-11	40-2
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 4:03 PM The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (As an Individual) The Honourable Chuck Strahl, P.C., M.P., Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians () Caroline Davis, Assistant Deputy Minister, Resolution and Individual Affairs (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) Aideen Nabigon, Executive Director, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Secretariat Canada (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) Michael Spratt, Defense Lawyer, CLA Designate (Criminal Lawyers' Association) Matthew Taylor, Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada)
Bill S-211, An Act to require the Minister of the Environment to establish, in co-operation with the provinces, an agency with the power to identify and protect Canada’s watersheds that will constitute sources of drinking water in the future	2009-06-10	40-2
That, in accordance with section 38 of the Nunavut Act, chapter 28 of the Statutes of Canada, 1993, the Senate concur in the June 4, 2008 passage of the Official Languages Act by the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut	2009-06-04	40-2
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 8:40 AM Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 12:05 PM Michael Aquilino, Counsel, Official Languages Law Group (Department of Justice Canada) Joe Attagutaaluk, Executive Member (Qikiqtani Inuit Association) Navarana Beveridge, Director, Social Policy (Qikiqtani Inuit Association) Stéphane Cloutier, Special Advisor (Government of Nunavut) Daniel Cuerrier, Director General (Association des francophones du Nunavut) Kate Darling, Legal Counsel (Government of Nunavut) Graham Fraser, Commissioner (Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages) Pascale Giguère, Acting Director and General Counsel, Legal Affairs Branch (Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages) Alexina Kublu, Languages Commissioner of Nunavut (Office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut) Jo Anne Lagendyk, Counsel, Canadian Heritage, Legal Services (Department of Justice Canada) The Honourable Paul Okalik, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Iqaluit West (Legislative Assembly of Nunavut) Laurie Pelly, Legal Counsel (Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.) Renée Soublière, Senior Counsel and Litigation Coordinator, Official Languages Law Group (Department of Justice Canada) The Honourable Louis Tapardjuk, Minister of Languages (Government of Nunavut) Johane Tremblay, Acting Assistant Commissioner, Policy and Communications Branch (Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages)
Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants)	2009-05-27	40-2
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 2:50 PM Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 10:50 AM Michel Aubin, Director, Federal and International Operations (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Lynn Barr-Telford, Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Mia Dauvergne, Senior Analyst, Policing Services Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Craig Grimes, Senior Analyst, Courts Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (Statistics Canada) Todd Shean, Representative (Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police) Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 4:03 PM The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (As an Individual) The Honourable Chuck Strahl, P.C., M.P., Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians () Caroline Davis, Assistant Deputy Minister, Resolution and Individual Affairs (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) Aideen Nabigon, Executive Director, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Secretariat Canada (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) Michael Spratt, Defense Lawyer, CLA Designate (Criminal Lawyers' Association) Matthew Taylor, Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada)