Senate.

• Author: Mussell, Mary
• Position: Legislative Reports

For the first time in Canadian parliamentary history of our Parliament, Royal Assent was given by written declaration on February 13, 2003. The Clerk of the Senate presented Bill C-4, an act to amend the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, to John Major, Deputy of the Governor General for Royal Assent. Instead of holding the traditional ceremony in the Senate with the House of Commons at the bar, this new Royal Assent took place at Rideau Hall. This marked the culmination of many attempts over the last twenty years to provide an alternative Royal Assent procedure. With the enactment in June 2002 of Bill S-34, it became possible to signify Royal Assent by written declaration announced by the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament.

Other bills that received Royal Assent by written declaration were: C-12, An Act to promote physical activity and sport, on March 19; C-3, An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act, on April 3; and C-227, An Act respecting a national day of remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 3.

Bill S-34 also preserved Royal Assent as an important tradition by requiring at least two traditional ceremonies in each calendar year, including one for the first appropriation bill in each session. On March 27, a traditional Royal Assent took place in the Senate Chamber when Louise Arbour, in her capacity as Deputy of the Governor General, assented to two appropriation bills.

Committees

Senate committees have been particularly active and have produced many reports in recent months. As a consequence, the Senate has devoted a large portion of its time in the Chamber to the discussion and adoption of these reports.

The Fourth Report of the Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, which clarified the practice in the Senate of depositing committee reports with the Clerk of the Senate, was adopted on February 5. This matter was referred to committee after Senator Lowell Murray had raised a question of privilege regarding the announced intention of the Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee to deposit a report with the Clerk of Senate rather than tabling it on a day when the Senate was sitting. Senator Michael Kirby, in response to Senator Murray's question of privilege, suggested that the Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament review the practice of back door tabling. The committee's report supported, as a general principle, the proposition that all committee...