The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, we welcome today the Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, to ask questions relating to his ministerial responsibilities.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, senators do not need to stand. Questions are limited to one minute and responses to one-and-a-half minutes. The reading clerk will stand 10 seconds before the expiry of these times. Question Period will last one hour.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Judge Maryka Omatsu and Andrea Margles. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator McPhedran.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(The sitting of the Senate was suspended.)

(The sitting of the Senate was resumed.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, Question Period will begin at 3 p.m.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Paul Quassa, a former Premier of Nunavut, as well as Elisapee Quassa and Akuttuugaq Quassa. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Patterson.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Daniel J. Song, K.C. and Roger Thirkell. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Martin.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I see that this item has reached its fifteenth day. Accordingly, with leave of the Senate, I propose that study of this item stand until the next sitting of the Senate.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired.

I know all senators will want to join me in thanking Minister Lametti for being with us today. Thank you, minister. We look forward to seeing you again.

(At 4 p.m., pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on September 21, 2022, the Senate adjourned until 2 p.m., tomorrow.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Zeb Jiva. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Ravalia.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Claude Carignan: Minister, on April 26, you testified before the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency, at which time you were asked for several documents that were used to support the decision-making process, and you invoked cabinet confidence privilege multiple times.

On June 28, the Public Order Emergency Commission issued a press release that read as follows:

The Government of Canada has responded to a request from Commissioner Paul Rouleau and agreed not to claim Cabinet privilege over the documents that Cabinet considered in making the decision to declare a public order emergency . . . .

I will also quote the statement by the commission’s counsel that was reported in the press release:

This exceptional step recognizes the fundamental importance of the Commission’s work and how critical these documents are in inquiring into why the Government declared a public order emergency . . . .

How do you explain this double standard? Cabinet privilege was waived for the Rouleau commission, but not for the joint committee.

Is that not disrespectful to the institution of Parliament?

Hon. David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada: Thank you, senator, for this important question.

Naturally, the act provided for a study. We have started the process for this parliamentary study with a former deputy minister who will look into several issues, including the one you raised, medical cannabis, and the potential circumvention of the regulations for other purposes.

He will be addressing that issue and investigating it. We are awaiting his report. I can tell you that I will examine and read this report carefully to find the answer to that question.

Senator Ringuette: I’m sorry. I understand I was asking a question and requesting an answer, but as far as I know, there is nothing in this bill that says that the new one-zone island will be at the lowest denominator. Anyway, I hope that you as the sponsor of the bill will seek clarification to the question I’m asking. Thank you for looking into it.

Hon. Renée Dupuis: Welcome to the Senate, minister. In your December 16, 2021, mandate letter, the Prime Minister said your top priority is, and I quote:

 . . . to ensure that all Canadians have access to fair and just treatment before the law. This includes reforming and modernizing the criminal justice system . . . .

Women have long known that the criminal justice system, as established in the Canadian Criminal Code of 1892, is based on policies and perceptions that constitute systemic discrimination against women. The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs is currently studying Bill C-5, and witnesses have been telling us again and again that women do not trust the criminal justice system because it treats them poorly, whether they are the victims or the accused. Will you commit to overhauling criminal sentencing principles and including, among other things, women’s perspectives as well as—

The Hon. the Speaker: I’m sorry, senator, but your time is up.

Hon. David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada: Thank you, senator. What I can commit to is moving forward with the perspective that you just mentioned. As I said in another answer today, we have already taken steps to better educate new judges. Rona Ambrose introduced a bill to that effect that I strongly supported in both houses. It should help to better educate judges.

We have made changes to the legislation itself to build a better framework for sexual assault laws. That needs to continue. We are trying to incorporate the perspectives of women and other individuals who are marginalized by the justice system. Obviously, we are committed to continuing to make changes that will improve the justice system.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Plett, thank you. Minister Lametti, please go ahead.

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan: Minister, recently your government appointed Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime Benjamin Roebuck, whom I wish to congratulate on his new role. I am, however, concerned that this position was only filled after a 361‑day vacancy. During this time, a year’s worth of legislation impacting victims was not reviewed by an ombudsman for victims of crime. Alternatively, the position of the ombudsman for federally sentenced offenders was filled the day after it became vacant in 2018.

Why did it take your government so long to fill this critical position, and what message does it send to victims of crime that filling the position for ombudsman for federally sentenced offenders was clearly a greater priority for your government?