The Senate at Work: Four Case Studies

• Author: Gary William O'Brien
• Pages: 63-76

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The Senate at Work:

Four Case Studies

is chapter will examine studies undertaken by senators within the

context of the real-life workings of Parliament. As David E Smith

has noted: “[T]he legitimacy of the Senate . . . rests in its activity.”

e inquiries selected represent the various elements of the Senate’s

constitutional structure. ey are examples of how senators carry

out their work, and the challenges and limitations they encounter.

e f‌irst two — the  study of Bill C-, An Act to amend the

Patent Act and to provide for certain matters in relation thereto, and the

 inquiry into the cancellation of the agreements regarding the

redevelopment of Toronto’s Pearson Airport — look at the Senate’s

legislative inf‌luence within the mixed government framework. e

third surveys the – Special Committee on Poverty and dem-

onstrates its complementary role. e fourth study, the  Spe-

cial Committee on the Cape Breton Development Corporation, is

selected as an example of the Senate’s territorial function.

Bill C-22, An Act to Amend the Patent Act, 1987

In late , the Progressive Conservative government of Brian

Mulroney introduced Bill C-, which gave patent holders of