What key legislation passed, what's in limbo after Parliament breaks for summer
What key legislation passed, what's in limbo after Parliament breaks for summer
Centre Block’s Peace Tower is seen behind as a Parliamentary Protective Services officer walks on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Friday, June 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
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.
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.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki took turns Monday denying pressuring the RCMP, or interfering in the police investigation into the Nova Scotia mass shooting, saying that their approaches were appropriate and warranted, given the unprecedented nature of the situation.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's inflation rate is set to remain 'painfully high' for the rest of the year. In an exclusive interview with CTV News, Macklem says the path to a 'soft' economic landing is 'narrowing' but at this point the central bank is not projecting a recession.
Five months ago, the first 'Freedom Convoy' trucks rolled into Ottawa. After the federal government took the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act to end the protests, a series of inquiries and probes have been initiated. With the nation's capital bracing for more protests over the Canada Day weekend, CTVNews.ca takes a look at where the main commissions and studies stand.
Now that the House and Senate have adjourned for the summer, CTVNews.ca breaks down what key pieces of legislation passed in the final days of the spring session, and what key government bills will be left to deal with in the fall.
The Conservative Party leadership race is well underway as contenders hold rallies, duke it out in debates, and slowly release more details of their policy platforms. Here's a snapshot of where the five candidates stand on the economy, housing, climate, defence and social issues.
'After a weeks-long survey of just about everyone I've met ... the overall judgment on Justin Trudeau is one of being a political write-off,' writes Don Martin in an opinion column for CTVNews.ca. 'He’s too woke, too precious, preachy in tone, exceedingly smug, lacking in leadership, fading in celebrity, slow to act, short-sighted in vision and generally getting more irritating with every breathlessly whispered public pronouncement,' Martin writes.
It's time for the whiners to win and the government to reopen the skies, a return to those glory times of flying when the biggest complaints were expensive parking, a middle seat and stale pretzels, commentator Don Martin writes in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
In an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says Doug Ford coasted to majority re-election victory in Ontario by sticking to the middle of the road: 'Not too progressive. Not too conservative.'
There's a lesson for Canada's political leaders in the short life and quick death of Jason Kenney as premier of Alberta, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
It's becoming a make-or-break week for two Conservative premiers as their futures pivot on a pair of defining moments, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior RCMP officers are defending the national police force's years-long and previously undisclosed use of spyware—capable of remotely accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data—as part of dozens of major investigations.
Saskatoon police say a woman who had been reported missing is facing charges in the United States related to unauthorized use of identification and in Canada related to parental abduction and public mischief.
Ontario's health minister said Monday that six hospitals had to close departments -- including ERs -- over the weekend, but argued that the situation wasn't unprecedented.
Sources close to the government's proposed $5.3 billion dental care program say the Liberals are planning a temporary solution that involves giving money directly to patients in order to keep their promise to the NDP while they work on a more permanent answer.
A suspect already in handcuffs has allegedly managed to overpower a Toronto police officer and steal their SUV, sending police on a wild early morning chase that ended with an attempted carjacking.
Saskatoon police say a woman who had been reported missing is facing charges in the United States related to unauthorized use of identification and in Canada related to parental abduction and public mischief.
One day after Montreal Pride abruptly cancelled the parade just hours before it was set to begin, organizers didn't have much to say about how poorly they managed the festival's marquee event. And now there are concerns about how the embarrassing mistake could hurt the city's reputation.
A suspect already in handcuffs has allegedly managed to overpower a Toronto police officer and steal their SUV, sending police on a wild early morning chase that ended with an attempted carjacking.
The deputy mayor of a southern Newfoundland town says his community is running out of food as it remains cut off from the rest of the island due to the worst forest fires the province has seen in more than 60 years.
With a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants holding after nearly three days of violence, Gaza's sole power plant resumed operations Monday and Israel began reopening crossings into the territory.
The white father and son convicted of murder in Ahmaud Arbery's fatal shooting after they chased the 25-year-old Black man through a Georgia neighbourhood were sentenced Monday to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime.
Authorities on Monday identified the fourth victim in a series of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the deaths sent ripples of fear through Islamic communities nationwide.
Close to one-third of the Palestinians who died in the latest outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza militants may have been killed by errant rockets fired by the Palestinian side, according to an Israeli military assessment that appears consistent with independent reporting by The Associated Press.
In the wake of then-U.S. President Donald Trump's infamous photo-op at the height of the George Floyd protests, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley penned a lengthy and vociferous critique of Trump in a resignation letter he ultimately never sent, The New Yorker reported on Monday.
Bolivia's decision to open an alternate route to its historic 'Death Road' - a serpentine dirt path across the towering Andes hills known for its deadly cliffs - has led to a resurgence of wildlife in the area, according to an environmental group.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior RCMP officers are defending the national police force's years-long and previously undisclosed use of spyware—capable of remotely accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data—as part of dozens of major investigations.
Sources close to the government's proposed $5.3 billion dental care program say the Liberals are planning a temporary solution that involves giving money directly to patients in order to keep their promise to the NDP while they work on a more permanent answer.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is tracking the publicly reported cases of monkeypox across the country, updating the number of confirmed infections in each province and territory on a weekly basis.
A new study has found children who suffer from headache disorders have been experiencing more frequent pain and worse anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Talks to revive Tehran's tattered nuclear accord with world powers in Vienna ended Monday as the parties closed a final text and the Iranian negotiator prepared to return to his capital, diplomats said.
A trunk with its lid left open. A wooden dishware closet, its shelves caved in. Three-legged accent tables topped by decorative bowls. These latest discoveries by archaeologists are enriching knowledge about middle-class lives in Pompeii before Mount Vesuvius' furious eruption buried the ancient Roman city in volcanic debris.
While the peak of the Perseids meteor shower, one of the brightest of the year, may be next week, now may be the best time to see the astronomical event, according to The Weather Network.
Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Monday that each side is shelling Europe's biggest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Russia claimed that Ukrainian shelling caused a power surge and fire and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there.
A Metro Vancouver shelter held what it called a 'pity party' for a dog who's been waiting to be adopted for more than a year - the first dog at the facility to wait that long in about even years.
The recent resignation of Hockey Canada's board chair could be a sign of further departures to come, says Simona Jellinek, a sexual abuse and assault lawyer.
The lone American team in a junior B hockey league based in British Columbia is pulling out of the upcoming season because it can't find enough players vaccinated against COVID-19 to fill its roster.
The new plan to encourage Americans to buy more electric vehicles built in North America, instead of just the United States, has cleared its tallest hurdle, and for the Canadian auto industry, the stakes are enormous.
Centre Block’s Peace Tower is seen behind as a Parliamentary Protective Services officer walks on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Friday, June 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
