Senate.

• Author: Heather Lank

On February 27, 1996, the Governor General of Canada gave the Speech from the Throne in the Senate Chamber to open the Second Session of the Thirty-Fifth Parliament. Just prior to prorogation of the First Session, the Liberals had obtained a plurality of members in the Upper House, though the Progressive Conservatives retained a majority of members on all committees until the end of the session. The overall party standings were Liberal-51, Progressive Conservatives-50, and Independents-3.

At the beginning of the new Session, the Committee of Selection was appointed with five Liberal and 4 Conservative members. This majority insured that Senate committees would have a majority of Liberal members, despite the near equality of the two parties in the Senate itself. Indeed, when the Selection Committee reported, standing committees with twelve members were comprised of seven Liberals and five Progressive Conservatives, while the two committees with fifteen members had nine Liberal and six Conservative members.

However, in keeping with recent practice, members of the Official Opposition were elected to the Chairs of several committees. Thus, Agriculture and Forestry; Energy, Environment and Natural Resources; Fisheries; National Finance; and Social Affairs, Science and Technology are each chaired by a Conservative senator. The remaining standing committees, Aboriginal Peoples; Banking, Trade and Commerce; Foreign Affairs; Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; Legal and Constitutional Affairs; and Transport and Communications, have Liberal Chairs.

The beginning of a new session is usually a relatively quiet time in the Senate, as the upper chamber awaits the arrival of legislation from the House of Commons. However, a motion in the House allowing for the reinstatement of bills at the same stage at which they stood at the time of prorogation meant that a number of bills made their way quickly into the Senate and into committee.

Committee Business

Three committees have been particularly active. The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, chaired by Senator Sharon Carstairs, has focused its attention on two bills, both of which have generated significant public and media interest.

Bill C-8, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, was introduced in the First Session as Bill C-7. The Committee had referred to it the papers and evidence that it had received in its consideration of Bill C-7 at the end of the First Session...