Legislative reports: Senate.

Although there was considerable debate in the Senate on a number of bills during the spring of 2002, it was clearly the reports of Senate committees that captured the attention of the senators. One committee in particular, the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence chaired by Senator Colin Kenny took on an added importance. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, its study to survey the major security and defence issues facing Canada could not have been more timely. When the committee's report "Canadian Security and Military Preparedness", was tabled in the Senate on March 5, it highlighted the need for increased port security and recommended a substantial increase in the defence budget.

Committees

The National Security and Defence Committee was only one of many committees that were active. The Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee chaired by Senator Michael Kirby tabled Volumes Two, Three and Five of a series of reports on its continuing study of the role of the federal government in health care. Volume Two examined predictable changes within the health care system and Volume Three reviewed health care in other countries. Part 1 of Volume Five outlined 20 principles for restructuring the publicly funded hospital and doctor system. One of the committee's key recommendations called for limits on hospital waiting times. The next stage of its study will include hearings which will focus on how to implement the principles contained in this report. Volume Four, which had been tabled in September 2001, used information from Volumes Two and Three as the basis for public consultations conducted across Canada last fall. Coincidentally, the release of Volumes Two and Three happened at the same time as the publication of the interim report of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, headed by Roy Romanow.

The Senate adopted the Seventh Report of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament which recommended amendments to the Parliament of Canada Act and to the Rules of the Senate that would allow for the recognition of other political parties in the Senate. This came about after a Speaker's ruling on a question of privilege raised by Senator Gerry St. Germain about the designation of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and a request that followed from the Senate for this committee to study the subject of opposition parties.

The Official Languages tabled four reports...