What key legislation passed, what's in limbo after Parliament breaks for summer
Now that the House and Senate have adjourned for the summer, no more bills or motions will pass in Parliament until MPs and senators return to Ottawa in late September.
With politicians now back in their constituencies for a few months, CTVNews.ca analyzes what key pieces of legislation passed in the final days of the spring session, and digs into what key government bills will be left to deal with in the fall.
WHAT PASSED?
In addition to nine other pieces of government legislation that passed earlier in the 44th Parliament, six other bills made it to the finish line to become law in the last week of the sitting. They included:
The budget bill: The top priority to see passed this spring, Bill C-19 made it through the Senate on its last sitting day. This legislation implements any legislative changes needed in order to enact elements of the federal budget for 2022 presented in April. But, it's not just spending-related changes that are coming through the passing of this bill. The Liberals also stuck in updates to numerous other laws, including the Criminal Code, the Customs Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, and the Parliament of Canada Act. Alongside this bill were a pair of appropriation bills (aka money bills) that essentially allow the departmental taps to keep flowing over the next few months.
The provincial representation bill: The bill that locks in the minimum number of seats Quebec has federally, C-14 passed on June 21. This legislation will impose a new minimum seat count for each province, ensuring that in future riding redistributions, no province will ever be allocated fewer seats than they have now. Pursuing this change to the Constitution Act was prompted by a proposal from the Chief Electoral Officer that would see Quebec lose a seat, while other provinces either increase or maintain their current seat counts, as a result of the ongoing redrawing of the federal electoral map.
The 'extreme intoxication' bill: This bill set the record for speediest passage in this Parliament, beating out the conversion therapy bill's ten days from introduction to royal assent, by three days. The bill was quickly turned around by Justice Minister David Lametti after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the law prohibiting the use of extreme intoxication as a defence for some crimes was unconstitutional. While the legislation itself was only five pages long, the move to ensure that individuals who do become extremely intoxicated in criminally negligent manner are held responsible if they harm others was given the textbook definition of a rubber-stamping. However, the government has pledged that after quickly patching the gap in the law, they'll embark on a belated study of the bill's subject matter.
WHAT DIDN'T PASS?
Not an exhaustive list, as there are a total of 21 government bills outstanding in either the House or Senate. Here are some of the key pieces of legislation that are likely to be near the top of the government's agenda when MPs and senators return to Ottawa.
The online streaming bill: Aka Bill C-11, or the Broadcasting Act update. After the Liberals failed to pass a version of this bill in the last Parliament, when the Senate refused to fast-track it late in the sittings, there's a bit of deja-vu happening. After managing to pass the bill through the House, the legislation is at second reading in the Senate with senators signalling they want to and will take the time they think this bill needs to study. The core intent of the bill is to force streaming giants to be subject to Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission regulations meant to increase the production and promotion of Canadian content, though critics continue to caution that there will be broader knock-on effects for Canadian content creators. The Liberals caused some acrimony after the House Canadian Heritage Committee sped through more than 100 amendments and then used procedural mechanisms to curtail the last leg of debate.
The gun control bill: After the government cut off debate at second reading in order to pass the bill into the committee stage in time for the summer break, Bill C-21 could be back on MPs' radars before September. The legislation if passed as currently drafted would further restrict legal access to handguns in Canada, and create systems to flag individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others. The bill would also increase the maximum penalties to 14 years from 10 for firearm-related offences such as smuggling, make it an offence to alter a cartridge magazine beyond its lawful capacity and prohibit certain replica firearms that closely resemble real guns. Since its introduction, advocates both for and against the firearms bill have shared mixed reactions to the proposed law, so expect the hot-button bill to be one to watch.
The Huawei-related national security bill: Currently awaiting second reading after being one of the handful of government bills tabled in the final weeks of June, Bill C-26 could very well be one of the first bills to be prioritized this fall. In announcing that Canada was banning China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, citing national security concerns, the government signalled this legislation would be coming. It makes amendments to the Telecommunications Act aimed at shoring up Canada's telecommunication system against national security risks in the finance, telecommunications, energy and transport sectors. Bill C-26 also would build in a new mandatory reporting system for cybersecurity incidents.
The national reconciliation council bill: Tabled on the second last day of the spring sitting, Bill C-29 from Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller proposes to enact a National Council for Reconciliation. Responding to Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action 53 through 56, the legislation would put in place an independent and Indigenous-led council that would "strive to ensure that long-term progress on reconciliation is supported and sustained through commitment to reconciliation and accountability," according to the government. Once the bill passes, the council's board of directors can be named, and then work on setting up the council as a not-for-profit organization.
IN DEPTH
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
opinion Don Martin: The Trudeau lessons from Brian Mulroney's legacy start with walking away
Justin Trudeau should pay very close attention to the legacy treatment afforded former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Thursday at age 84, writes columnist Don Martin.
opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Local Spotlight
Conservation officers seize 9-foot python from Chilliwack home
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Ontario auto-insurance changes could leave some vulnerable, says expert
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A tiny critter who could: Elusive Newfoundland Marten makes improbable comeback
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
Ontario man loses $12K to deepfake scam involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
'I was just like, holy cow!': Saskatoon dumpster divers reclaim wasted valuables
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario to balance budget ahead of 2026 election, citing delay due to 'economic uncertainty'
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.