JUST Committee Meeting

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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

Meeting No. 55

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights met at 3:31 p.m. this day, in Room 306, La Promenade Building, the Chair, Dave MacKenzie, presiding.

Members of the Committee present: Dan Albas, Françoise Boivin, Raymond Côté, Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Robert Goguen, Brian Jean, Dave MacKenzie, Brent Rathgeber, Craig Scott and Kyle Seeback.

Acting Members present: Sean Casey for Hon. Irwin Cotler and Randall Garrison for Pierre Jacob.

Associate Members present: David Anderson.

In attendance: House of Commons: Christine Lafrance, Legislative Clerk ; Philippe Méla, Legislative Clerk . Library of Parliament: Cynthia Kirkby, Analyst ; Dominique Valiquet, Analyst.

Witnesses: Department of Justice: Laura Stone, Counsel, Human Rights Law Section; Stephen Zaluski, Deputy Director General and General Counsel, Human Rights Law Section.

Pursuant to the Order of Reference of Wednesday, June 6, 2012, the Committee resumed consideration of Bill C-279, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression).

The witnesses answered questions.

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

The Committee resumed consideration of the amendment of Randall Garrison, — That Bill C-279, in Clause 1, be amended by replacing line 19 to 21 on page 1 with the following:

“identity, marital status, family status, disability or conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Randall Garrison and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 6; NAYS: 5.

Randall Garrison moved, — That Bill C-279, in Clause 1, be amended by adding after line 21 on page 1 the following:

“(2) In this section, “gender identity” means, in respect of an individual, the individual’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex that the individual was assigned at birth.”

The question was put on the amendment of Randall Garrison and it was agreed to on the following recorded division: YEAS: Françoise Boivin, Sean Casey, Raymond Côté, Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Randall Garrison, Craig Scott — 6; NAYS: Dan Albas, Robert Goguen, Brian Jean, Brent Rathgeber, Kyle Seeback — 5.

Clause 1, as amended, carried on the following recorded division: YEAS: Françoise Boivin, Sean Casey, Raymond Côté, Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Randall Garrison, Craig Scott — 6; NAYS: Dan Albas, Robert Goguen, Brian Jean, Brent Rathgeber, Kyle Seeback — 5.

Randall Garrison moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 97.1(1), the Committee request an extension of 30 sitting days for the consideration of Bill C-279, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression), to allow its members to hold deliberations beyond the present deadline of Monday, December 10, 2012, because two meetings of the Committee were interrupted by votes in the House; therefore, the Committee was unable to complete its deliberation on the bill and, that the Chair present this report to the House.

Debate arose thereon.

At 4:53 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 5:02 p.m., the sitting resumed.

At 5:30 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.

Jean-François Pagé
Clerk of the Committee

2013/03/05 3:20 p.m.