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-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy)	2021-06-28
Bill S-209, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum (voting age)	2021-06-22
Bill S-207, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)	2021-05-25
Bill S-208, An Act to amend the Criminal Records Act, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation	2021-05-25
Bill S-212, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (disclosure of information by jurors)	2021-05-25
The subject matter of those elements contained in Divisions 26, 27 and 37 of Part 4 of Bill C-30, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures	2021-05-04
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 4:05 PM Susan Davis, Sex Worker/ Director (BC Coalition of Experiential Communities) Julie Dawson, Director of Regulatory & Policy (Yoti) Laila Mickelwait, MPD, Founder Trafficking Hub (Justice Defense Fund) Victoria Nash, Professor, director of the Oxford Internet Institute (Oxford Internet Institute) Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 1:00 PM The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice Canada) The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., M.P., President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (House of Commons) Joanna Baron, Executive Director (Canadian Constitution Foundation) Yves Côté, Commissioner of Canada Elections (Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections) Anna Dekker, Acting Deputy Director and Senior Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada) Marc A. Giroux, Commissioner (Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs) Toby Hoffmann, Acting Director and General Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada) Manon Paquet, Director, Special Projects, Democratic Institutions Secretariat (Privy Council Office) Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer (Elections Canada) Allen Sutherland, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Privy Council Office) Patrick Xavier, Acting Senior Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada)
Study matters relating to legal and constitutional matters generally, as described in rule 12-7(7)	2021-03-30
Bill S-203, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material	2021-03-16
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 4:46 PM Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 4:01 PM Brian Hurley, Director (Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers) Emily Laidlaw, Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law and Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Calgary (As an Individual) Daniel Therrien, Privacy Commissioner of Canada (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada) Martyn Turcotte, Director, Technology Analysis Directorate (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada) Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 4:05 PM Susan Davis, Sex Worker/ Director (BC Coalition of Experiential Communities) Julie Dawson, Director of Regulatory & Policy (Yoti) Laila Mickelwait, MPD, Founder Trafficking Hub (Justice Defense Fund) Victoria Nash, Professor, director of the Oxford Internet Institute (Oxford Internet Institute) Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 4:00 PM Dr. Gail Dines (Culture Reframed) Jacqueline Gahagan, Professor, Health Promotion, Dalhousie University (As an Individual) Dr. Megan Harrison, Pediatrician and Adolescent Health Physician, CHEO (As an Individual) The Honourable Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, sponsor of the bill Dr. Jocelyn Monsma Selby, Co-Chair, Global Summit (Connecting to Protect) Murray Perkins, Consultant, Media Regulation and Age-Verification (18North)
Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code	2021-02-11
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 10:36 AM Gillian Blackell, Senior Counsel and Team Lead, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Toby Hoffmann, Acting Director and General Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada) Melissa Moor, Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada) Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 4:32 PM The Honourable Rona Ambrose, P.C. (As an Individual) Betty Barrett, Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Social Work, Animal and Interpersonal Abuse Research Group (University of Windsor and Humane Canada) Amy J. Fitzgerald, Professor of Criminology, Animal and Interpersonal Abuse Research Group (University of Windsor and Humane Canada) Amy S. FitzGerald, Executive Director (BC Society of Transition Houses) Olga Houde, Coordinator, Political Analysis (Fédération des maisons d'hébergement pour femmes) Hilla Kerner, Collective Member (Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter) Viviane Michel, President (Quebec Native Women Inc.) Manon Monastesse, Director General (Fédération des maisons d'hébergement pour femmes) Asahni Montgomery, Collective Member (Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter) Léa Serier, Justice and Public Security Coordinator (Quebec Native Women Inc.) Raphael Tachie, President (Canadian Association of Black Lawyers) Diane Tremblay (As an Individual) Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 10:30 AM Paul J. Calarco, Member, Criminal Justice Section (Canadian Bar Association) Annamaria Enenajor, Criminal Defence Lawyer (Criminal Lawyers Association) Jocelyn W. Formsma, Executive Director (National Association of Friendship Centres) The Honourable C. Adèle Kent, Chief Judicial Officer (National Judicial Institute) Fo Niemi, Director General (Center for Research-Action on Race Relations) Megan Savard, Criminal Defence Lawyer, CLA Director (Criminal Lawyers Association) Christopher Sheppard, President (National Association of Friendship Centres) Jean Teillet (Indigenous Bar Association) Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 4:33 PM The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice Canada) Gillian Blackell, Senior Counsel and Team Lead, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Nathalie G. Drouin, Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice Canada) Toby Hoffmann, Acting Director and General Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada) Melissa Moor, Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section (Department of Justice Canada)
Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)	2020-12-17
Show/Hide the list of witnesses Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 10:01 AM Dr. Gary A. Chaimowitz, Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University (As an Individual) Albert Gretzky (As an Individual) Spring Hawes, Peer Mentor and recent MLA candidate, Dignity Denied (As an Individual) Dr. Neil Hilliard, Palliative Care Physician, Delta Hospice Society (As an Individual) Abby Hoffman, Senior Executive Advisor to the Deputy Minister (Health Canada) Dr. Trevor A. Hurwitz, Doctor and Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia (As an Individual) Dr. Karine J. Igartua, President (Quebec Psychiatric Association ) Joanne Klineberg, Acting General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Policy Sector (Department of Justice Canada) Karen Kusch, Senior Policy Advisor, Strategic Policy Branch (Health Canada) Sylvain Le May, Citizen, Welcoming and Support Services for Students with Disabilities, Université du Québec à Montréal (As an Individual) Jacquie Lemaire, Senior Policy Advisor, Strategic Policy Branch (Health Canada) Dr. John Maher, Psychiatrist, Barrie Assertive Community Treatment Team; President, OAAF; Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Ethics in Mental Health (Ontario Association for ACT & FACT) The Honourable Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie, Senator Carole Morency, Director General and Senior General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Dr. Chantal Perrot (As an Individual) Gabrielle Peters, Disabled Writer and Co-founder, Dignity Denied (As an Individual) Caroline Quesnel, Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Dr. Lisa Richardson, Strategic Lead, Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health, Women's College Hospital (As an Individual) Andrew Roman (As an Individual) Dr. Mark Sinyor, Associate Professor; Psychiatrist, University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (As an Individual) Dr. Donna Stewart, University Professor, University of Toronto, Psychiatrist, University Health Network, Senior Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (As an Individual) Dr. Joshua Wales, Palliative Care Physician, Sinai Health (As an Individual) Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 9:09 AM Eric Adams, Vice Dean and Professor of Law, University of Alberta Faculty of Law (As an Individual) Jonas-Sébastien Beaudry (As an Individual) Julie Campbell, Nurse Practitioner (As an Individual) Raphael Cohen-Almagor, Professor, University of Hull (As an Individual) Richard Fowler, Board Member, Representative for Vancouver, British Columbia (Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers) Dr. Thomas Fung, Physician Lead (Siksika Health Services) Dr. Gus Grant, Registrar and CEO (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia) Abby Hoffman, Senior Executive Advisor to the Deputy Minister (Health Canada) Timothy Holland, MAID Physician Provider and Assessor (As an Individual) Lucie Joncas, Board Member, Representative for Montreal, Quebec (Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers) Dr. Jaro Kotalik, Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (As an Individual) Karen Kusch, Senior Policy Advisor, Strategic Policy Branch (Health Canada) Dr. Rod McCormick, Professor and Research Chair, All My Relations Research Centre, Thompson Rivers University (As an Individual) Jean-Pierre Ménard, Lawyer (Barreau du Québec) Marie-Nancy Paquet, Lawyer (Barreau du Québec) François Paulette, Denesuline Elder (As an Individual) Laurel Plewes, Director, VCHA Assisted Dying Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) (As an Individual) David E. Roberge, Member of the Canadian Bar Association End of Life Working Group (Canadian Bar Association) Scott Robertson, Senior Associate, Nahwegahbow Corbiere (Indigenous Bar Association) Delphine Roigt, Lawyer and Ethics Advisor (As an Individual) Jocelyne Saint-Arnaud, Associate Professor, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal (As an Individual) Dr. Derryck Smith, Clinical Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia (As an Individual) Dr. Janet Smylie (As an Individual) Suzanne L. Stewart, Director, Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health and Associate Professor Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto (As an Individual) Daniel Weinstock (As an Individual) Tyler White, Chief Executive Officer (Siksika Health Services) Ivan Zinger, Correctional Investigator of Canada (Office of the Correctional Investigator) Dr. Joel B. Zivot, Associate Professor, Emory University School of Medicine (As an Individual) Monday, February 1, 2021 at 10:01 AM The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice Canada) Danielle Chalifoux, Lawyer in health law (Institut de planification des soins du Québec) François Daigle, Associate Deputy Minister (Department of Justice Canada) Marcella Daye, Senior Policy Advisor (Canadian Human Rights Commission) Dr. Naheed Dosani, Palliative Care Physician and Health Justice Activist (As an Individual) Sarah Jama, Lead Organizer (Disability Justice Network of Ontario) Heidi Janz, Chair, Ending-of-Life Ethics Committee (Council of Canadians with Disabilities) The Honourable Senator Serge Joyal, P.C., former senator (As an Individual) Joanne Klineberg, Acting General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Policy Sector (Department of Justice Canada) Marie-Claude Landry, Chief Commissioner (Canadian Human Rights Commission) A. Wayne MacKay, Professor Emeritus of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University (As an Individual) Jonathan Marchand, Chair (Coop ASSIST - Quebec Cooperative for Independent Living) Carole Morency, Director General and Senior General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Sheila Osborne-Brown, Acting General Counsel and Director of Legal Services (Canadian Human Rights Commission) Caroline Quesnel, Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section (Department of Justice Canada) Gerard Quinn, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities (United Nations Human Rights Council) David Shannon, Barrister and Solicitor (As an Individual) Elizabeth Sheehy, Professor Emerita of Law, University of Ottawa (As an Individual) Patrick Taillon, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Laval University (As an Individual) Laurie Wright, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister (Department of Justice Canada)