Ottawa ‘eager’ to bring back federal body offering advice on reforming laws
Global News
Justice Minister David Lametti's office says it is hoping to make an announcement about the Law Commission "soon,'' but has offered little detail.
The federal government is preparing to revive an independent commission that would offer advice to cabinet on reforming Canadian laws.
Justice Minister David Lametti’s office says it is hoping to make an announcement about the commission “soon,” but has offered little detail – other than saying the minister is “eager to get it going again.”
In the 2021 federal budget, Ottawa committed to spend $18 million over five years and $4 million in ongoing annual funding for a new Law Commission of Canada. Its last iteration had been shuttered by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in 2006.
But nearly two years later, the only sign of movement on its creation is a job posting for a commissioner role that appears to have been online and accepting applications since January 2022.
Former Liberal attorney general Allan Rock says having a non-partisan, arm’s-length resource to critically examine Canadian laws for weaknesses is a valuable asset.
“I look at the Law Commission as a fabulous resource, which can be essential on behalf of the government and identify areas where reforms are needed,” said Rock, who later served as president of the University of Ottawa.
Despite operating and publishing reports as a non-partisan entity, the commission’s history has turned it into a bit of a political beach ball.
It was first created in 1971 on the recommendation of the Canadian Bar Association and served without any apparent controversy until Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government closed it down in 1992.