QUESTION PERIOD — Justice
Bill C-22--Impact on Black and Indigenous Canadians
March 16, 2021
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. I apologize — I didn’t know I would get a chance to ask this so you don’t have advance notice, although the Minister of Justice has been asked twice.
In addition to the issue that Senator Moodie raised in terms of the list of who was consulted, particularly from Black and Indigenous communities, we would like to know what the numbers of those who are Black and Indigenous are in terms of who has been convicted of the offences which will be amended by Bill C-22 if it’s passed, as well as the statistics on the anticipated reduction in the numbers of prisoners who are Black and Indigenous based on the plan to pass Bill C-22. Thank you very much.
Thank you for the question. I don’t have the answer, and I am not the best-placed person, nor, perhaps, is this even the best forum for that legitimate question to be answered. I invite you to ask those questions to the minister and the officials when we have the opportunity to do so when the bill comes to us for consideration. Having said that, I will make inquiries and try to provide the information.
Thank you very much. Any assistance would be much appreciated, as we have requested it twice already and thus far have not been able to receive the information.
