Dissolution of Parliament Act

An Act to provide fixed dates for the election of members to the House of Commons and to amend the Constitution Act, 1867

This bill was last introduced in the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in May 2004.

Sponsor

Stephen Harper  Canadian Alliance

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Not active, as of April 1, 2004
(This bill did not become law.)

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Dissolution of Parliament ActRoutine Proceedings

April 1st, 2004 / 10:10 a.m.
See context

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Canadian Alliance

Stephen Harper Canadian AllianceLeader of the Opposition

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-512, an act to provide fixed dates for the election of members to the House of Commons and to amend the Constitution Act, 1867.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to move first reading of this bill which would provide for fixed election dates for members of the House of Commons. The bill would effectively remove from a prime minister the right to call an election whenever and however he or she wanted. Instead, it would substitute a fixed date of every four years.

The bill obviously could not come at a more opportune time, with election speculation rife and the Prime Minister polling overnight and deciding at his personal whim whether and when Canadians have a right to exercise their most critical democratic rights.

It is not the way it should be. Elections should be held based on the interest of the Canadian people, not on the whims of a prime minister.

The current power of the Prime Minister stands at the heart of the democratic deficit. It has been criticized by Mr. Kent, the stalwart Liberal, and changed by a Liberal government in B.C.

Passage of the bill would fix this problem and go a long way to fixing the democratic deficit.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)