Chapter 4 The Legislature Flashcards
What are the three functions of Canada’s Parliament?
- Pass Laws
- Represent Canadians
- Scrutinize government
How do you pass a law?
H.O.C
- First reading - Bill is introduced and explained
- Second Reading - Debate on the principles of the bill
- Committee Stage - Examined in detail
- Report Stage - Opportunity to move new amendments
- Third Stage - Final Appraisal
- Senate - Same Stages as H.O.C.
- Royal Assent - Governor-General
What are the three types of Committees?
- Standing Committees - permanent ex: agriculture
- Joint standing Committees - house and senate (scrutiny)
- Legislative Committees - set up to examine bills
What are the two types of bills?
- Public Bills
2. Private Bills
What was Bill C-2?
An act to amend the Income Tax Act
- changed tax rates including raising the rate on those who make over $200,000
- Received Royal Assent - Dec.2016
What is the Omnibus Bill?
Bill C-45
A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012
also amended income tax act, federal-provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, Employment insurance act, and navigable waters protection act.
-received royal assent Dec.2012
What was the Private Members bill?
- introduced by a member of parliament who is not a cabinet minister
- 2016 - C-210 - An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender)
- Changed the second line of 0 Canada from in all thy sons command to in all of us command
What were the Party Discipline?
- united party caucus
- support party line
- Alternative: More free votes
How many seats do each province hold to represent Canadians?
B.C - 42 ALB - 34 SASK - 14 MANI - 14 ONT. - 121 QUE - 78 N.B - 10 N.S - 11 PEI - 4 NFLD - 7 NWT - 1 YUK - 1 NUN - 1
What is the Question period?
A 45-Minute period
Five days a week
Embarrass the government
criticize its policies
What is the speaker of the house?
- elected by the house
- Referee of the house
- Administration duties
- No Voting (except tiebreaker)
What is Party Whip?
- maintain party caucus
- inform members of duties
- Important for votes
- Minority government
What was the challenging party discipline case #1
Garth Turner
- suspended from Conservative Party caucus 2006
- claimed to have violated caucus confidentially in his blog writings.
What was the challenging party discipline case #2
Bill Casey
- expelled from Conservative caucus
- 2007 - Voted against the budget claiming that it broke the Atlantic Accord.
What was the challenging party discipline Case #3?
Joe Comuzzi
- Expelled from Liberal caucus
- 2007 - supported the Conservative Budget
What was the challenging party discipline case #4?
Wayne Long
Lost committee membership
2017 - Announced opposition to tax changes for private corporations and voted for a conservative motion to extend the period of consultation.
What consists of the Bicameral Parliament?
upper and lower houses
How many members in the Canadian Senate?
105 members
How are members of the senate appointed?
by the recommendation of the Prime Minister
What does a Bill need in order to become law?
they need senate approval
All except B.C. has what before 1867?
BNA colonies with two chambers called legislative council
What was the Quebec Conference dominated by?
the talk of the upper house
What was also considered in 1867 BNA Act.
An elected senate was considered
What is the sober second thought?
- study legislature
- scrutinize government spending proposals
- inquire into problem areas of concern
What is Senate Reform?
- should they be elected?
- how long should they serve?
- Who should they represent?
- What should they do?
- Long history of reform attempts
What did the progressive party in the 1920s try to abolish?
The senate
What did the senate reform want in 1979?
- Pepin-Robarts Task Force on Canadian Unity recommends a new Council of the Federation
What did Senate reform want in 1972?
- Special Joint Committee on the constitution recommends boosting the number of Western senators and letting the provinces pick half of the upper house.
What did senate reform want in 1981?
Canada West Foundation report coins the term Triple E Senate – elected, equal, effective
What was involved in the Charlottetown Accord?
- Triple E Senate
- Equal ( 6 per province )
- Elected (directly or indirectly by the provincial and territorial legislatures)
- Effective (greater legislative powers)
How did the Independent Senators Group come to be?
- came to Senate through the application process
- Non-partisan
- Co-operative but independent
How did the Progressive Senate Group come to be?
- formed out of the former senate Liberal caucus
- Membership would not require whipped votes
- would include support for the charter rights and freedoms
- and indigenous people
How did the Canadian Senators Group come to be?
- spilt from independent senators group after concern that the caucus was too large and not independent enough
- includes former ISG members and Conservative senators
