Senate.

• Author: Belzile, Marie-Eve
• Position: Legislative Reports - Report

The Senate's 2010 fall session ended on Wednesday, December 15. A traditional royal assent ceremony brought the session to a close in the late afternoon when the Governor General assented to eight government bills and three public bills.

A number of the government bills that received royal assent were part of the government policies mentioned in the Throne Speech. The public bills from the Senate and the House of Commons also drew the attention of parliamentarians and support from the government. Two of the bills that received royal assent amended the Criminal Code, while Senator Tommy Banks' Bill S-210 amended the Federal Sustainable Development Act and the Auditor General Act. The Senate's work over the last few months lined up with the government's legislative objectives.

Bills

In the last two months of 2010, the Senate studied and passed more than 10 bills at third reading. A number of other bills are still at second reading or have been sent to committee. Over the last few months, a number of unusual events in the Upper Chamber have drawn the attention of the House of Commons and the media.

On November 16, the Speaker of the Senate called for a vote at second reading on Bill C-311, An Act to ensure Canada assumes its responsibilities in preventing dangerous climate change. The bill had been passed by a slim majority in the House of Commons on May 5, 2010. Senator Grant Mitchell sponsored the bill in the Senate. The result of the voice vote was contested, so a recorded vote took place. The final tally was 32 senators in favour and 43 against. As a result, the bill was defeated at second reading and was dropped from the Order Paper.

Pursuant to rule 59(10) of the Rules of the Senate, on November 17 Senator Mitchell raised a question of privilege regarding the events recorded in the Debates of the Senate on November 16, 2010, regarding the vote on Bill C-311. After discussion, the Speaker made his ruling, reminding Senators that the Journals of the Senate are the only official record of deliberations in the Senate and that the proceedings the day before had been in keeping with the Rules. The Speaker quoted citation 479 of Beauchesne' s Parliamentary Rules and Forms, which states that a Member may not speak against or reflect upon any determination of the House, unless intending to conclude with a motion for rescinding it. As a result, the Speaker ruled that it was not a question of privilege. However, the result of the vote in the Senate...