Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Issue 4 - Third, Fourth and Fifth Reports of the Committee
Thursday, March 25, 2004
The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its
THIRD REPORT
Your Committee, to which was referred Bill S-15, An Act to amend the Act of incorporation of Queen's Theological College, has, in obedience to the Order of Reference of Thursday, March 11, 2004, examined the said Bill and now reports the same without amendment but with observations, which are appended to this report.
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGE FUREY
Chair
APPENDIX TO THE REPORT
Observations to the
Third Report
of the
Standing Senate Committee on
Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Bill S-15 is a private bill that amends the 1912 Act of Parliament that incorporated Queen's Theological College in Kingston. In all that time, the College has not returned to Parliament to ask for amendments to that Act. Meanwhile, much has changed. The College was originally founded as a Presbyterian College, but when the union of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Churches took place in 1925 to produce the United Church of Canada, the Act was not changed to reflect this new relationship. There are a number of other amendments to the Act that the College also wishes to see made, including changes in the composition and role of its Board of Management.
Your Committee is satisfied that the College has complied with all of the requirements for a private bill set out in the Rules of the Senate, and accepts the testimony of College representatives that the contents of Bill S-15 are reasonable and required.
On the other hand, your Committee believes that the time has passed when private corporations incorporated by a Special Act of Parliament should be required to return to Parliament to modernize their governance structures. Your Committee has previously recommended that the Canada Corporations Act should be amended to permit these corporations to regulate such matters internally, and we reiterate that recommendation in the context of Queen's Theological College and all other Special Act corporations in the same situation.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its
FOURTH REPORT
Your Committee, to which was referred Bill C-16, An Act respecting the registration of information relating to sex offenders, to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, has, in obedience to the Order of Reference of Thursday, February 19, 2004, examined the said Bill and now reports the same without amendment.
Respectfully submitted,
Thursday, March 25, 2004
The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its
FIFTH REPORT
Your Committee, to which was referred Bill C-250, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda), has, in obedience to the Order of Reference of Friday, February 20, 2004, examined the said Bill and now reports the same without amendment.
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGE FUREY
Chair