Bill S-219 explained in plain English
An Act to establish the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 41st Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-219 aims to create the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice to facilitate knowledge sharing and provide recommendations for improving the treatment of individuals with mental health issues within the criminal justice system.
Bill S-219 proposes to establish the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice. This Commission would aim to improve how Canada addresses mental health issues within the criminal justice system. Its work would include developing and sharing knowledge, data, and expertise on mental health and the justice system, and making recommendations for better laws, policies, and practices. The bill also proposes establishing a Mental Health and Justice Advisory Council to advise the Commission. Several existing federal acts would be amended to include the Commission as a government institution.
- Establishes the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice.
- Outlines the purpose of the Commission, which is to facilitate the development, sharing, and application of knowledge, data, and expertise related to mental health and the criminal justice system across Canada.
- Defines the powers and functions of the Commission, including monitoring, analyzing, and evaluating issues, reviewing laws and policies, conducting research, and publishing findings.
- Establishes the Mental Health and Justice Advisory Council to advise the Commission.
- Amends several federal acts, including the Access to Information Act, the Financial Administration Act, the Privacy Act, and the Public Sector Compensation Act, to incorporate the new Commission.
- Specifies the organizational structure of the Commission, including the appointment of a President and Commissioners, and the establishment of an executive director and staff.
- Details the responsibilities and operations of the Commission, including its accountability to Parliament, its head office, meetings, by-laws, and reporting requirements.
- Mandates a review of the Commission's impact and effectiveness every five years.
- Provides for the commencement of the Act through an order of the Governor in Council.
- Individuals living with mental health problems or illnesses who are involved with or at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system.
- Participants in the criminal justice system, including law enforcement officers, corrections officers, court officials, lawyers, judges, and accused persons.
- Victims of crime and their families.
- Federal government departments and agencies, particularly those related to health, justice, and public safety.
- Provincial and territorial governments.
- Academics and professionals in the fields of mental health and criminal justice.
- The general public, through contributions to public safety and well-being.
- The Commission is responsible for facilitating the development, sharing, and application of knowledge on mental health and the criminal justice system.
- The Commission is empowered to monitor, analyze, evaluate issues, review laws and policies, conduct research, and provide recommendations.
- The Commission is entitled to free and timely access to information and data from federal departments, with specific exceptions.
- The Commission is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Health.
- The Mental Health and Justice Advisory Council must advise the Commission.
- The Ministers (Health, Justice, Public Safety) must respond to reports from the Commission within 90 days.
- The Commission must undertake a review of its mandate, operations, and activities every five years.
- The Act comes into force on a day to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council, subject to a recommendation for appropriation of funds and parliamentary appropriation.
- A review of the Commission's impact and effectiveness must be undertaken five years after the Act comes into force, and every five years thereafter.
- The bill requires that appropriations of moneys for the purposes of the Act must be recommended by the Governor General and appropriated by Parliament before the Act can come into force.
- Commissioners, except the President, are to be paid fees fixed by the Governor in Council.
- Commissioners are entitled to reasonable travel and living expenses.
- Members of the Mental Health and Justice Advisory Council serve without remuneration but are entitled to reasonable travel and living expenses.
- The Commission may generate revenues through the provision of goods or services.
- The Commission may acquire property by gift, bequest, or otherwise and expend, invest, administer or dispose of it.
- The specific date for the Act to come into force is not yet determined, as it depends on an order of the Governor in Council and parliamentary appropriation.
- The exact number of members for the Mental Health and Justice Advisory Council can range from twelve to twenty-four, as determined by the Commission.
- The bill does not specify the exact composition or specific expertise required for all members of the study panels.
Adds the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice to Schedule I of the Act, thereby including it under the 'Other Government Institutions' heading.
Source: Section 28
Adds the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice to Schedule II of the Act, and amends Part III of Schedule VI to list the Commission and its President.
Source: Sections 29, 30, 31
Adds the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice to the schedule of the Act, under the 'Other Government Institutions' heading.
Source: Section 32
Adds the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice to Schedule I of the Act, under the 'Other Portions of the Public Service' heading.
Source: Section 33
This is the act itself, which establishes the Commission and its functions.
Source: Title and various sections
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
During a Senate sitting on June 12, 2013, Bill S-219, an act to establish the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice, was introduced and read for the first time, and scheduled for second reading.
This record details a Senate sitting on June 12, 2013, which included the first reading of Bill S-219, An Act to establish the Canadian Commission on Mental Health and Justice. The sitting also featured statements from senators on various topics, the tabling of reports, question period, and debates on other bills and estimates. The first reading of Bill S-219 was a procedural step, marking its introduction to the Senate. The bill was then scheduled for second reading.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced