In a letter to the honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, Chair of the Senate Committee on Human Rights, the Criminal Justice and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Sections of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA Sections) commented on Bill C-66, Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act.
While the Sections support the intention of Bill C-66 - which would create a procedure for expunging historically unjust convictions specifically related to consensual sexual activity between same-sex persons - they offered a number of suggestions for improving the legislation to the Senate Committee on Human Rights with regard to: the age of consent; making an application on behalf of mentally incapacitated individuals; recognition of the unique networks of support in the LGBTQ2S community; the importance of destroying all records related to the conviction; setting consequences for non-compliance; establishing boundaries on the collection of information by the Parole Board; and the appropriate breadth of eligible offences.
Read the letter