Keith Mack
In Canada, a bill must pass through several stages before becoming a law. First, a draft bill is presented to the Cabinet for approval. If approved, it is introduced in Parliament, where it undergoes a first, second, and third reading in the Senate or the House of Commons. The bill is then sent to the other chamber for review and potential amendments. Once passed by both chambers in identical form, it is presented to the Governor General for Royal Assent, which completes the enactment process. With Royal Assent, the bill officially becomes a law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How a bill becomes a law | A bill must be approved in identical form by both houses of Parliament – the Senate and the House of Commons. |
| Who can introduce a bill? | A bill can be introduced by a parliamentarian (a senator or a member of Parliament) or by the government. |
| Where is a bill introduced? | A bill must be introduced in either the Senate or the House of Commons. |
| What are the types of bills? | There are two types of bills: public and private. Public bills deal with matters of national interest and affect the whole country. Private bills benefit a particular individual or group. |
| What are the types of public bills? | There are two types of public bills: Government bills and Members' bills. Government bills are introduced by a Cabinet minister, a parliamentary secretary or the Government Representative in the Senate. Members' bills are introduced by a private member. |
| What are the stages of a bill? | First, second and third reading. After the third reading, the bill is sent to the other chamber. |
| What happens during the first reading? | The objectives of the bill are explained and the members of Parliament decide whether to accept the bill for future debate. If accepted, it is assigned a number, printed, and scheduled for debate for the second reading. |
| What happens during the second reading? | Members debate and vote on the principle of the bill. The House may decide to refer the bill to a legislative, standing or a special committee, or to Committee of the Whole. |
| What happens during the third reading? | MPPs debate the bill for the last time. Following the debate, the Speaker calls for a final vote about the proposed law. |
| What happens after the third reading? | If the bill is passed by a majority of parliamentarians, it is sent to the other chamber. |
| What happens if the bill is rejected or no decision is made? | If a bill is rejected or no decision is made before a session of Parliament ends, the bill stops going through the legislative process. |
| What happens if the bill is passed by both houses? | The bill is presented to the Governor General for Royal Assent. |
| What is Royal Assent? | Royal Assent is when the Governor General agrees to the bill, thereby making it a law. |
| What happens after Royal Assent? | Once a bill has been granted Royal Assent, it becomes law and comes into force on that day, unless the Act provides otherwise. |
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What You'll Learn
A bill is introduced in the House of Commons or the Senate
To create a new law in Canada, the government must first introduce a bill. A bill is a proposed law that can be introduced in either the House of Commons or the Senate. Most bills are introduced in the House of Commons first. However, bills may also be introduced in the Senate first, before being studied by the House of Commons. There are two types of bills: public and private. Public bills, which deal with matters of national interest, may be sponsored by a Minister (Government bill) or by a private Member (Members' bill). Private bills benefit a particular individual or group. Bills involving taxation or public funds must originate in the House of Commons and receive government approval.
Once a bill is introduced in either the House of Commons or the Senate, it must pass through several stages in each House: first, second, and third reading. During the first reading, the objectives of the bill are explained, and members of parliament (MPPs) decide whether to accept the bill for future debate. If it is accepted, it is assigned a number, printed, and scheduled for a second reading. Each member receives a copy of the bill, and during the second reading, MPPs debate the principles of the bill. After the debate, the MPPs vote on whether to let the bill proceed to the next step. In some cases, the bill may move directly to the third reading, but often it is first examined by a legislative, standing, or select committee. The committee may summon witnesses and experts to provide information and help improve the bill. The committee then presents its report, which may recommend that the bill be accepted in its first reading state, or with amendments, or that it not be proceeded with further. During the report stage debate, members can propose further amendments to the bill.
After the bill has been read three times in the House, it is sent to the other chamber for its consideration. If the reviewing chamber makes any changes, the bill gets sent back to the initial chamber for further review. Messages may go back and forth between the chambers as amendments are debated. Most amendments are intended to clarify, simplify, or improve a bill.
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The bill is debated, reviewed, and voted on
In Canada, a bill must go through several stages of debate, review, and voting before it can become a law. This process begins with the introduction of the bill in either the Senate or the House of Commons, where it undergoes its first reading. During this stage, the objectives of the bill are outlined, and members of parliament (MPPs) decide whether to accept the bill for future debate. If accepted, the bill is printed and scheduled for a second reading.
During the second reading, MPPs debate the principles of the bill. They are each allowed to speak only once during this stage. After the debate, the MPPs vote on whether to let the bill proceed to the next step. If the bill passes this vote, it may move directly to the third reading, but often it is first examined by a legislative, standing, or special committee, or a Committee of the Whole. This committee can summon witnesses and experts to provide information and help improve the bill. The committee then reports the bill back to the House, indicating any proposed amendments. The House considers these amendments and votes for or against them, before debating and voting on the bill as amended.
Once a bill has been read three times in one chamber, it is sent to the other chamber for review. If the reviewing chamber makes any changes, the bill is sent back to the initial chamber, and messages may go back and forth between the chambers as amendments are debated. Most amendments are intended to clarify, simplify, or improve the bill.
If a bill is rejected or if no decision is made before a session of Parliament ends, the bill stops going through the legislative process. If a bill passes its third reading in the chamber where it was introduced, with a majority of parliamentarians in favour, it is then sent to the other chamber.
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Amendments are made by the second House
In Canada, a bill must pass through several stages in both the House of Commons and the Senate to become a law. The first House can be either the House of Commons or the Senate, and the second House is the other chamber.
Once a bill has been read three times in the first House, it is sent to the second House for consideration. If the second House proposes any amendments, these must be agreed to by the first House for the bill to become law. Amendments should conform to the rules and practices of the House to preserve the integrity of the bill. The committee chair rules on the admissibility of amendments, advised by the legislative clerk. The principle of the bill is fixed when the bill is adopted at second reading, and any amendment contrary to this principle is inadmissible. The scope of the bill is also fixed at the second reading, and any amendment that goes beyond this scope is inadmissible. Amendments may be proposed in either of the two official languages and should be in writing. Amendments are considered and voted on by the committee, which proceeds through the bill clause by clause.
If the second House makes any changes to a bill, it is sent back to the initial chamber for further review. Messages may go back and forth between the chambers as amendments are debated. Most amendments are intended to clarify, simplify, or improve a bill.
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The bill is presented to the Governor General for Royal Assent
In Canada, a bill must pass through several stages before it can become a law. Once a bill has been passed by both the Senate and the House of Commons, it is presented to the Governor General for Royal Assent.
The Governor General may choose to assent to the bill in the Queen's name, withhold assent, or reserve assent. Royal Assent is the final stage in the enactment process, and once it is granted, the bill officially becomes a law. There are two ways in which Royal Assent can be granted. The first is through a formal ceremony in the Senate Chamber, where the Governor General may signify assent with a nod of the head or by signing the bill. The second method is by written declaration, which can take place outside of the Senate Chamber.
The granting of Royal Assent is a long-standing tradition in Canada's constitutional monarchy, with the assent of the monarch being required for a bill to become a law. This is typically done by the Governor General, although their deputy may also perform this duty. Once Royal Assent is given, the bill is given a chapter number for the Statutes of Canada and comes into force as an Act.
It is important to note that not all bills become law. A bill may die on the order paper if it does not pass through all the required stages during a session of Parliament. However, such a bill can be reintroduced in the next session as a new bill with a new number.
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The bill becomes law
For a bill to become law, it must be approved in identical form by both houses of Parliament: the Senate and the House of Commons. This is done through a process of debate, review and voting. The bill must pass through various stages in each House: first, second and third reading.
During the first reading, the objectives of the bill are explained and members of Parliament decide whether to accept the bill for future debate. If accepted, it is printed and scheduled for a second reading. During the second reading, members of Parliament debate the principles of the bill and then vote on whether to let the bill proceed to the next step. After the second reading, the bill may be referred to a committee for further study and amendments. The committee then presents its report, which may recommend that the bill be accepted in its first reading state, with amendments, or that it not be proceeded with.
During the third reading, members of Parliament debate the bill for the last time and then cast a final vote. If the bill is passed by a majority of members of Parliament, it is then sent to the other chamber. If the bill is amended by the second chamber, these amendments must be agreed to by the first chamber, or the bill will not become law. Once the bill has been passed by both chambers in identical form, it is sent to the Governor General for Royal Assent.
Royal Assent is the final step in the process of making a bill into law. Royal Assent may be granted by the Governor General in a formal ceremony, by a nod of the head, or by written declaration. Once Royal Assent is granted, the bill officially becomes a law and comes into force on that day, unless the Act provides otherwise.
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Frequently asked questions
The first step is to introduce the bill in either the Senate or the House of Commons.
The second step is the first reading of the bill, where the objectives of the bill are explained and members of parliament (MPPs) decide whether to accept the bill for future debate.
The third step is the second reading of the bill, where MPPs debate the principles of the bill. After the debate, the MPPs vote on whether to let the bill proceed to the next step.
The final step is to receive Royal Assent, which is when the Governor General or Lieutenant Governor agrees to the bill on behalf of the Monarch. Once Royal Assent is granted, the bill becomes a law.
