House of Commons.

• Author: Hall, Nancy
• Position: Legislative Reports

Prime Minister Jean Chretien's recent announcement that he will step down effective December 12, 2003 marked the end of his forty-years in the House of Commons. While signs indicated he was intending to leave prior to his announced date of February 2004, news of the transition date came only as the outgoing Prime Minister met with Paul Martin in Ottawa following the Liberal leadership convention in mid-November.

A number of bills made it through the Commons and the Senate in late October and early November as rumours of a prorogation spread. On Thursday November 6th, 2003, a spokesperson from each party paid tribute to Mr. Chretien. Statements were made by Charles Caccia, the longest serving Liberal Member, John Reynolds, House Leader for the Official Opposition, Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Quebecois, former Prime Minister Joe Clark (PC) and Bill Blaikie, one of the longest serving Members of the New Democratic Party. Mr. Chretien responded to the tributes with what would be his last speech in the House as Prime Minister.

Legislation

Prior to proroguing the House of Commons on November 12th, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet pushed several legislative initiatives through the House and the Senate including:

* Bill C-55, which grants the Supplementary Estimates (A) for the period ending March 31, 2004,

* Bill C-25, the Public Service Modernization Act,

* C-45, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal liability of organizations),

* C-48, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (natural resources),

* Bill C-6, An Act to establish the Canadian Centre for the Independent Resolution of First Nations Specific Claims to provide for the filing, negotiation and resolution of specific claims and to make related amendments to other Acts, and

* Bill C-50, which related to benefits for veterans and the children of deceased veterans.

A number of other bills died on the Order Paper and it remains to be seen which of these the new Prime Minister will revive when Parliament reconvenes in January 2004. These include Bill C-49, An Act respecting the effective date of the representation order of 2003, which would move forward the date of the coming into force of the new electoral map from August 25, 2004 to April 1, 2004. While the bill passed the Commons on October 23, 2003, the Senate did not pass it before the prorogration. It will need to be revived and enacted if Mr. Martin wishes to call a spring election based on the new 308-seat electoral map. Bill C-53, An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, was also passed by the Commons at all stages on October 23rd, 2003, but was not taken up by the Senate.

The Prime Minister's ethics package, Bill C-34, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (Ethics Commissioner and Senate Ethics Officer) and other Acts in consequence, was lost when the Senate passed the bill at 3rd reading with an amendment that provides for Senate control...