Van Loan touts record number of private member's bills

President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada Denis Lebel (left) and Government House Leader Peter Van Loan listen to a question during an end-of-session news conference in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A record number of private member’s bills have been passed in recent years, according to Government House Leader Peter Van Loan.

Since the 41st Parliament began on June 2, 2011, the government has passed 26 PMBs, Van Loan told reporters at his annual year-end press conference on Parliament Hill Wednesday morning. Nine were passed this year.

“This is an unprecedented level of success for individual members of Parliament putting forward and passing ideas which are very important to them and their constituents. Never before in Canadian parliamentary history have we seen this number of substantive private members’ bills become law,” said Van Loan.

PMBs are presented and sponsored by “private members,” the term used for an MP, representing any party, who is neither part of cabinet, nor a parliamentary secretary. Compared to bills presented by the government, they follow substantially the same process to be passed into law. The differences centre around how the bills presented to the House are chosen, and the amount of time they are afforded for debate.

Van Loan also noted that the Conservative government has passed 33 bills in 2014, adding that “several more” should be finalized before the end of the year. The House of Commons is expected to rise for its holiday break on Thursday.

Some of the new laws have faced questions of constitutionality, however, including the new prostitution legislation. Just one day after the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act came into effect, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called on her attorney general to look at the “constitutional validity” of the law. Wynne’s call for review comes after the Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the prostitution laws of the time were unconstitutional, and had to be changed.

When asked whether he thinks certain pieces of legislation will stand up in court, Van Loan said the government always considers that ahead of time.

Van Loan said this year’s “cornerstone” pieces of legislation for the government were the budget implementation bills, the second of which goes to a third reading vote in the House on Thursday. He also noted the passage of free trade agreements with Honduras and South Korea, and continued efforts to implement the massive Canada and European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Looking ahead to 2015 – a federal election year – Van Loan said the government will focus on the economy, and legislation to keep Canadians safe from terrorist threats. The first piece of anti-terror legislation, the Protection of Canada from Terrorists Act, is now being considered in the House.