The Senate.

AuthorMoss-Norbury, Vanessa
PositionASSEMBLEE NATIONAL

On February 5, 2013, the Senate resumed sitting after the winter adjournment. During the next three months, the Senate passed a total of 13 bills, including nine government bills, one senate public bill and three commons public bills. Along with this legislation, the Senate also considered and reported on two User Fee Proposals (pursuant to the User Fees Act). Among the more notable bills passed, was Bill C-53, An Act to assent to alterations in the law touching the Succession to the Throne. This bill aimed to end the practice of placing male heirs before their elder sisters in the line of succession; and remove legal provisions that render heirs who marry Roman Catholics ineligible to succeed to the Throne. Bill C-53 was debated over several days in the Senate and was sent to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs for study and report. The committee heard from officials from the Department of Justice and the Privy Council Office as well as academics and other expert witnesses.

In addition to the Senate's usual study of bills and debate on motions and inquiries, the Senate resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on March 20 to hear from Graham Fraser, Commissioner for Official Languages who was nominated for reappointment which was approved by the Senate later that day.

Committees

Senate Committees issued several important reports, including the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance's long anticipated report on the reasons for price discrepancies in respect of certain goods between Canada and the United States. The report entitled: The Canada-USA Price Gap, was tabled on February 6. It found that the pricing of products was influenced by many factors including transportation costs, the relative size of the Canadian market and tariff rates. The committee recommended that: the Minister of Finance conduct a comprehensive review of Canadian tariffs; the Government continue to integrate the safety standards between Canada and the United States; the Government analyse the costs and benefits of increasing the de minimis threshold for low-value shipments; and the Minister of Canadian Heritage study the costs and benefits of reducing the 10% mark-up that Canadian exclusive distributors can add to the U.S. list price of American books. The report was adopted by the Senate on February 13. All Senate committee reports can be obtained by visiting http://www. parl.gc.ca/SenCommitteeBusiness.

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