THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
OTTAWA, Friday, November 27, 2020
(6)
[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 and Campbell (2).
Members of the committee present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators Ataullahjan, Boyer, Carignan, P.C., Cotter, Dalphond, Dupuis, Frum, Jaffer, Keating and Petitclerc (10).
Other senators present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators Kutcher, McCallum, Miville-Dechêne and Pate (4).
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).
WITNESSES (by videoconference):
As individuals:
Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, Associate Professor, University of Toronto;
Dr. Scott Kim, Senior Investigator, Department of Bioethics, National Institute of Health;
Jason LeBlanc, Caregiver and Researcher.
University of British Columbia:
Dr. Derryck Smith, Clinical Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.
As individuals:
Nicolas M. Rouleau, Constitutional Lawyer;
Laverne Jacobs, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor;
Dr. Jeffrey Kirby, Professor, Bioethics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University;
Dr. Ramona Coelho, Family Physician;
Catherine Frazee, Professor Emerita in the School of Disability Studies, Ryerson University;
Stéphane Beaulac, professor, University of Montreal;
Isabel Grant, Professor, University of British Columbia;
Geoffrey Kelley, Former Member of the National Assembly of Quebec.
The chair made a statement.
Dr. Gaind and Dr. Kim made statements and answered questions.
At 11:03 a.m., the committee suspended.
At 11:07 a.m., the committee resumed.
Mr. Leblanc, Dr. Smith and Mr. Rouleau made statements and answered questions.
At 12:31 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 12:54 p.m., the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan replaced the Honourable Senator Frum as member of the committee.
At 1:01 p.m., the committee resumed.
Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Frazee, Dr. Kirby, and Dr. Coehlo made statements and answered questions.
At 2:05 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 2:07 p.m., the committee resumed.
M. Beaulac, Ms. Grant and Mr. Kelley made statements and answered questions.
At 2:37 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 2:39 p.m., the committee resumed.
At 3:10 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 3:11 p.m., pursuant to rule 12-16(1) [d], the committee proceeded in camera to consider a draft agenda.
At 3:25 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.
ATTEST:
Mark Palmer
Clerk of the committee