House of Commons.

• Author: Sokolyk, Gary
• Position: Canada legislative assembly reports

Parliament reconvened on September 26, 2005. Following a tense spring marked by several attempts to defeat the government, Members returned for what would likely be the final months of the 38th Parliament. Prime Minister Paul Martin promised to call an election within 30 days of the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, commonly known as the Gomery Commission. This report is due on February 1, 2006. The Commission's first report tabled on November 1, 2005, loomed large over the opening weeks of the fall sitting, as Members awaited Justice Gomery's assessment of the testimony before the Commission. Claiming the need to make progress on its legislative agenda, the government postponed opposition days until mid-November. The opposition denounced this measure as undemocratic.

The day after the House's return, Canada's 27th Governor General, Michaelle Jean, was sworn-in during a ceremony in the Senate Chamber. Her predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson was in attendance, the first time in over a century that an outgoing Governor General has been present at the swearing-in ceremony. Later in the day, by unanimous consent, the House ordered that the text of Ms. Jean's inaugural speech be appended to Hansard where it will "form part of the permanent record of this Parliament".

Legislation

In early October, in response to rising fuel costs, the government introduced Bill C-66 to authorize the payment of rebates to seniors and low-income families. Recalling a similar program prior to the 2000 election, the opposition parties criticized the plan as a vote-buying measure. The government also introduced Bill C-67, which would equally divide future unanticipated budget surpluses between debt reduction, tax relief and new spending.

Report Stage consideration of Bill C-11, commonly known as the "Whistleblowers' Legislation", was unusual in several respects. The 27 amendments selected by the Speaker were considered in a single group on the ground that they were all so intimately interconnected that they could not separated into distinct sub-groupings. The amendments, proposed by the President of the Treasury Board following recommendations by the Government Operations and Estimates Committee, created the new position of Public Service Integrity Commissioner. The affirmative vote on the first amendment was applied to the remaining 26 amendments. The bill was given third reading on October 4, 2005.

Procedur...