JUST Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights met at 9:07 a.m. this day, in Room 705, La Promenade Building, the Chair, Art Hanger, presiding.

At 10:11 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 10:13 a.m., the sitting resumed.

The Committee commenced its clause-by-clause study of the Bill.

The witnesses answered questions.

The Chair called Clause 1.

By unanimous consent, after debate, Clause 1 was negatived.

By unanimous consent, it was agreed, — That the result of the vote on Clause 1 be applied to Clauses 3 to 9, which are therefore also negatived.

On Clause 2,

(a) replacing lines 14 to 21 on page 1 with the following:

“(e) obtains identification information from any person by a false pretence or by fraud with intent to use the information to commit an offence under section 380 or 403; or

(f) sells or otherwise discloses identification information obtained from any person by a false pretence or by fraud knowing that the information is intended to be used to commit an offence under section 380 or 403.

(1.1) Section 362 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (1):

(1.1) In subsection (1), “identification information” means information about any person, living or dead, that is capable of being used, whether alone or in conjunction with other information, to identify that person.”

(b) replacing lines 24 and 25 on page 1 with the following:

“(3.1) Everyone who commits an offence under paragraph 1(e) or (f)”

Debate arose thereon.

Derek Lee moved, — That the amendment be amended by adding the words “or by theft ” after the word “pretence” in paragraph (e) and paragraph (f)

Debate arose thereon.

The Chair ruled the proposed subamendment inadmissible because it was beyond the scope of the Bill, as provided on page 654 of House of Commons Procedure and Practice.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Rob Moore and it was agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, carried.

Clause 10 carried.

On Title,

“An Act to amend the Criminal Code (personal information obtained by fraud)”

Debate arose thereon.

Marlene Jennings moved, — That the amendment be amended by replacing the words “personal information” with the words “identification information ”

Debate arose thereon.

After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Marlene Jennings and it was agreed to.

Rob Moore moved, — That the amendment be amended by adding the words “or false pretence” after the word “fraud”.

Debate arose thereon.

After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Rob Moore and it was agreed to.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Derek Lee, as amended, and it was agreed to.

The Title, as amended, carried.

The Bill, as amended, carried.

ORDERED, — That the Chair report the Bill, as amended, to the House.

ORDERED, — That Bill C-299, as amended, be reprinted for the use of the House at report stage.

At 10:32 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 10:34 a.m., the sitting resumed.

Marlene Jennings moved, — That this Committee recommends that this House take note of the importance of the contribution that the ethnocultural communities make to the prevention of crime, social reintegration of offenders and rapid growth of safer communities and that it recognize the need to ensure every means and resource to allow police departments, the Correctional Service of Canada, the National Parole Board and the ethnocultural communities to respond better to the new needs of the increasingly diversified offender and prison population.

Debate arose thereon.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

Réal Ménard moved, — 1. That the Government postpone the reform made to the composition of the judge selection committees and that it restore the previous procedure for these committees.

2. That, as soon as the study of Bill C-18 is completed, the Committee devote three sessions to hearing witnesses who will inform the Committee of the consequences the government’s proposed changes will have on the integrity of the legal system.

3. That the Chair report the Committee’s conclusions to the House.

Debate arose thereon.

On motion of Réal Ménard, it was agreed, — That the debate be adjourned.

At 11:11 a.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.