SECU Committee Report

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), your Committee has considered Bill C-93, An Act to provide no-cost, expedited record suspensions for simple possession of cannabis, and wishes to make the following recommendations to the Government:

1. That the Parole Board of Canada, which has a mandate to deliver services quickly, effectively and efficiently, use technology to enable them to better serve Canadians;
2. Given that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is required to provide high-quality services to all Canadians reflecting past recommendations of the Auditor General and his mandate to serve Canadians, that the Minister immediately look at the implementation of an electronic submissions system for record suspensions, in particular for those mentioned in Bill C-93; and
3. That, given concerns expressed by witnesses about additional financial costs in the pardon application such as acquiring copies of court and police documents, and given that the Government has recognized the importance of reducing the financial burden of applying for a pardon as evidenced by C-93’s proposal to waive the $631 fee, the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness study further ways to reduce costs associated with applying for a pardon.