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	note	note
Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)	2020-12-17
Examine the subject matter of Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)	2020-11-03
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 2:00 PM Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 4:18 PM Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 4:18 PM Friday, November 27, 2020 at 10:01 AM Stéphane Beaulac, professor, University of Montreal (As an Individual) Dr. Ramona Coelho, Family Physician (As an Individual) Catherine Frazee, Professor Emerita in the School of Disability Studies, Ryerson University (As an Individual) Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, Associate Professor, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Isabel Grant, Professor, University of British Columbia (As an Individual) Laverne Jacobs, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor (As an Individual) Geoffrey Kelley, Former Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (As an Individual) Dr. Scott Kim, Senior Investigator, Department of Bioethics, National Institute of Health (As an Individual) Dr. Jeffrey Kirby, Professor, Bioethics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University (As an Individual) Jason LeBlanc, Caregiver and Researcher (As an Individual) Nicolas M. Rouleau, Constitutional Lawyer (As an Individual) Dr. Derryck Smith, Clinical Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia (As an Individual) Thursday, November 26, 2020 at 10:01 AM The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, P.C., M.P., Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion (Employment, Workforce Development and Labour) Neil Belanger, Executive Director (British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society) Dr. Thomas Bouchard, Family physician (Alberta Committee for Conscience Protection) Robyn Boucher, Intern, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Professor, Community Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (As an Individual) Vince Calderhead, Lawyer, Pink Larkin (As an Individual) Dr. Ewan Goligher, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Dr. Alika Lafontaine, Physician and Medical Lead, Aboriginal Health Program, North Zone (Alberta Health Services) Claire McNeil, Lawyer, Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia) Marilee Nowgesic, Executive Director (Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association) Grace Pastine, Litigation Director (British Columbia Civil Liberties Association) Dr. François Primeau, Clinical professor, Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia (As an Individual) Dr. Yves Robert, Secretary of the Order (Collège des médecins du Québec) Dr. Harvey Schipper, Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Dr. Isabelle Tardif, Deputy Director General and Assistant Secretary (Collège des médecins du Québec) Dr. Cornelia Wieman, President (Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada) Krista Wilcox, Director General, Office for Disability Issues (Employment and Social Development Canada) Wednesday, November 25, 2020 at 9:34 AM The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Health (Health Canada) Louise A. Auger, Director, Professional Affairs (Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada) Julia Beazley, Director, Public Policy (Evangelical Fellowship of Canada) Dr. Mona Gupta, Psychiatrist and Researcher, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Addictions, Université de Montréal (As an Individual) Sharon Harper, Director General, Strategic Policy Branch (Health Canada) Daniel Hayward, Chair, Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee (The United Church of Canada) Abby Hoffman, Senior Policy Advisor (Health Canada) Alexander King, Chair of the Board (Interim) (Living with Dignity) Karen Kusch, Senior Policy Analyst, Strategic Policy Branch (Health Canada) Fleur-Ange Lefebvre, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada) Jean-François Leroux, Lawyer (As an Individual) Stephen Lucas, Deputy Minister (Health Canada) The Most Reverend William McGrattan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Calgary and Member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Executive Committee (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops) Jean-Pierre Ménard, Lawyer (As an Individual) Refaat Mohamed, President (Canadian Council of Imams) Vyda Ng, Executive Director (Canadian Unitarian Council) Derek Ross, Executive Director and General Counsel (Christian Legal Fellowship) André Schutten, Director of Law and Public Policy (Association for Reformed Political Action Canada) Laurence Worthen, Executive Director (Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada) Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 10:03 AM Dr. Patrick Baillie, Psychologist and Lawyer (Mental Health Commission of Canada) Dr. Catherine Cervin, President (College of Family Physicians of Canada) Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, Distinguished Professor, University of Manitoba (As an Individual) Dr. Justine Dembo, Psychiatrist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Lecturer, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Dr. James Downar, Head and Associate Professor, Division of Palliative Care, University of Ottawa (As an Individual) Jocelyn Downie, Professor, Health Law Institute, Dalhousie University (As an Individual) Dr. Catherine Ferrier, President (Physicians' Alliance against Euthanasia) Mark Henick, Mental Health Advocate (As an Individual) Sean Krausert, Executive Director (Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention) Dr. Francine Lemire, Chief Executive Officer (College of Family Physicians of Canada) Trudo Lemmens, Professor and Scholl Chair in Health Law and Policy, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Brian L. Mishara, Director, Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide, Ethical Issues and End of Life Practices, and Professor, Psychology Department, University of Quebec at Montreal (As an Individual) Dr. Susan Moffatt-Bruce, Chief Executive Officer (Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada) Dr. Alain Naud, Clinical Professor, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine (Laval University) Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director (Euthanasia Prevention Coalition of Ontario) Dr. Sephora Tang, Psychiatrist, The Ottawa Hospital, Clinical Lecturer, University of Ottawa (As an Individual) Michael Villeneuve, Chief Executive Officer (Canadian Nurses Association) Monday, November 23, 2020 at 10:17 AM The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice Canada) Bonnie Brayton, National Executive Director (The DisAbled Women's Network of Canada) Dr. Sandy Buchman, Past president (Canadian Medical Association) Krista Carr, Executive Vice-President (Inclusion Canada) James S. Cowan, Chair, Board of Directors and former senator (Dying With Dignity Canada) François Daigle, Associate Deputy Minister (Department of Justice Canada) Dr. Alison Freeland, Chair, Professional Standards and Practice Committee (Canadian Psychiatric Association) Andrew Galley, National Research and Policy Analyst (Canadian Mental Health Association) Dr. Stefanie Green, President (Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers) Amy E. Hasbrouck, Executive Director, Toujours Vivant-Not Dead Yet a project of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (Council of Canadians with Disabilities) Dr. Leonie Herx, Palliative Medicine Consultant, Immediate Past-President and Executive Board Member (Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians) Dr. Georges L’Espérance, President, neurosurgeon (Association québécoise pour le droit de mourir dans la dignité) Helen Long, Chief Executive Officer (Dying With Dignity Canada) Dr. Grainne E. Neilson, President (Canadian Psychiatric Association) Dr. Tarek Rajji, Chief of Adult Neurodevelopment and Geriatric Psychiatry, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) Laurie Wright, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister (Department of Justice Canada)