Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Bill C-15 on Military Justice

The Library of Parliament recently made available its legislative summary of Bill C-15, the Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act:

"Bill C-15, An Act to amend the National Defence Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (short title: Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act), was introduced in the House of Commons on 7 October 2011 by the Minister of National Defence (...)"

"Overall, Bill C-15 responds to many of the recommendations made by the Right Honourable Antonio Lamer, former Chief Justice of Canada, in his 2003 report on the first independent review of amendments made to the NDA in 1998 under the former Bill C-25 (Lamer Report)."

"The amendments set out in Bill C-15 clarify the amendments introduced by the former Bill C-25. While Bill C-15 makes the military justice system more consistent with the justice system established in the Criminal Code, it also takes into account the unique nature of the military justice system, and therefore aims to provide a degree of flexibility, needed for maintaining discipline. The bill aims to enhance the effectiveness of the military justice system and provides greater independence and impartiality for the key players in that system, in particular military judges and the Director of Defence Counsel Services."

"Bill C-15 was introduced into the House of Commons on the same day as Bill C-16, the Security of Tenure of Military Judges Act, which provides security of tenure for military judges until a fixed age of 60 years, subject only to removal for cause on the recommendation of an Inquiry Committee. Bill C-16 received Royal Assent on 29 November 2011."

 It is possible to follow the progress of the bill through Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.

 On Library Boy, there is a post from February 8, 2012 on the related Bill C-16, the Security of Tenure of Military Judges Act.