THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

OTTAWA, Wednesday, December 3, 2025
(18)

[English]

The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs met this day at 4:19 p.m., in room B30, Senate of Canada Building, the chair, the Honourable David M. Arnot, presiding.

Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Arnot, Batters, Clement, Dhillon, Miville-Dechêne, Oudar, Pate, Saint-Germain, Simons, Tannas and Wells (Alberta) (11).

Participating in the meeting: Michaela Keenan-Pelletier, Analyst, Library of Parliament.

Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the committee began its consideration of the subject matter of those elements contained in Divisions 30 and 31 of Part 5 of Bill C-15, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025.

WITNESSES:

Department of Justice Canada:

Sarah Geh, Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector;

Anna Dekker, Senior Counsel and Deputy Director, Judicial Affairs Section (by videoconference);

Marie-Josée Poirier, Counsel, Judicial Affairs Section;

Sacha Baharmand, Deputy Director General and General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section;

Jenna MacDonald, General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section.

Sarah Geh made a statement and, together with Anna Dekker, Marie-Josée Poirier, Sacha Baharmand and Jenna MacDonald, answered questions.

At 5:07 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 5:15 p.m., the committee resumed, to discuss a draft agenda (future business).

It was agreed that the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate for the following order of reference:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs be authorized to examine and report on the need to modernize and clarify the Criminal Code of Canada and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, including an assessment of current structural deficiencies in the legislation and options for moving toward a comprehensive review;

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate; and

That the committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than December 31, 2028, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report.

It was agreed that the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate for the following order of reference:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs be authorized to examine and report on the current state of court delays in Canada’s criminal justice system following its final report tabled in June 2017, entitled Delaying Justice is Denying Justice: An Urgent Need to Address Lengthy Court Delays in Canada, including an examination of what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations made in that report;

That the papers and evidence received and taken and work accomplished by the committee on this subject during the First Session of the Forty-second Parliament be referred to the committee;

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit its reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate; and

That the committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than December 31, 2028, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report.

At 5:27 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.

ATTEST:

Vincent Labrosse

Clerk of the Committee