Government bills in the Senate now

A look at government legislation currently in the Upper Chamber — and what these bills mean for you.

By Senate GRO (Government Representative Office)
https://senate-gro.ca/news/government-bills-in-the-senate-now/

Bills are proposed laws. They vary in size, effect and the public interest they receive. Typically, Government bills are introduced by a Cabinet Minister in the House of Commons, but this type of legislation can also originate in the Senate if it does not initiate spending or impose a tax.

Here’s a list of government bills currently before the Senate.

The Bill: C-68, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in consequence
Status: Third reading.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Dan Christmas, independent Senator representing Nova Scotia.
Summary: This bill aims to fulfill the Government’s commitment to better protect Canada’s freshwater and marine fisheries, helping to ensure their long-term economic and environmental sustainability. Changes include the restoration of protections removed for fish and fish habitats in 2012, as well as the introduction of new ecological safeguards. C-68 also seeks to better recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples with respect to fisheries.

The Bill: C-77, An Act to amend the National Defence Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
Status: Third reading.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Marc Gold, independent Senator representing Quebec.
Summary: Bill C-77 seeks to make substantial amendments to the National Defence Act through the addition of the
Declaration of Victims Rights to the Code of Service Discipline, in order to harmonize the military justice system with the wider Canadian civilian criminal justice system. Changes also include a requirement that particular attention should be given to the circumstances of Indigenous offenders at sentencing.

The Bill: C-69, An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts
Status: Third reading.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Grant Mitchell, Government Liaison.
Summary: The objective of the bill is to improve the rules for the assessment of major projects to protect the environment and waterways, to rebuild public trust in how decisions about resource projects are made, and to provide certainty and predictable timelines to industry and investors. It also ensures that Indigenous knowledge be formally regarded and integrated into review processes.

The Bill: C-83, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act
Status: Report stage.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Marty Klyne, independent Senator representing Saskatchewan.
Summary: Bill C-83 replaces Canada’s current system of administrative segregation with a much more progressive system of structured intervention units. Under the proposed new system, the Correctional Service of Canada will be required to provide inmates who must be separated from the general population with at least four hours daily out of the cell and at least two hours daily of meaningful human interaction.

The Bill: C-48, Oil Tanker Moratorium Act
Status: At the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Mobina Jaffer, independent Liberal Senator representing British Columbia.
Summary: The bill formalizes a crude oil tanker moratorium on the north coast of British Columbia and sets penalties for contravention of this moratorium.

The Bill: C-75, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts
Status: At the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Murray Sinclair, independent Senator representing Manitoba.
Summary: This bill is intended to make the criminal justice system more modern and efficient, and to reduce delays in criminal proceedings.

The Bill: C-78, An Act to amend the Divorce Act, the Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act and the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act
Status: At the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Pierre Dalphond, independent Senator representing Quebec.
Summary:  This new law will make federal family laws more responsive to Canadian families’ needs — and will put children first.

The Bill: C-82, Multilateral Instrument in Respect of Tax Conventions Act
Status: At the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Mary Coyle, independent Senator representing Nova Scotia.
Summary: This bill enacts implements a multilateral instrument in respect of conventions for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The multilateral instrument is an international treaty developed as part of the G20 and OECD’s project to tackle base erosion and profit shifting.

The Bill: C-84, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bestiality and animal fighting)
Status: At the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Yvonne Boyer, independent Senator representing Ontario.
Summary: This legislation broadens the scope of three criminal offences in order to prohibit certain activities related to bestiality and animal fighting.

The Bill: C-91, Indigenous Languages Act
Status: At the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.
Senate Sponsor: Senator Murray Sinclair, independent Senator representing Manitoba.
Summary: Bill C-91 provides, among other things, that the Government of Canada recognizes that the rights of Indigenous peoples recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 include rights related to Indigenous languages.

READ MORE: https://senate-gro.ca/news/government-bills-in-the-senate-now/

About the Government Representative Office (GRO)
Government representation consists of three Senators who are responsible for both shepherding the Government’s legislation through the Senate in a timely manner and championing renewal in the changing institution. Although the three Senators represent the Government to the Senate, they do not sit in a partisan caucus and do not lead a caucus. Because of this, the Government representative team has no power to direct the votes of Senate members. The team promotes a vision for the Senate that is less partisan, and more independent, accountable and transparent, along with a strong focus on the role of the Senate as a complementary body to the House of Commons.

Formed in the spring of 2016, the GRO is a departure from previous Senate practice in which the Government Leader in the Senate was part of the same caucus as the Government. While the old model was characterized by top-down partisan control manifested through whipped party votes, the new model relies on Senators’ exercise of judgment within the framework of the institution’s complementary role.

​READ MORE ABOUT GRO: https://senate-gro.ca/about/