Bill C-319 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (prorogation)

This bill is from the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2021.

Sponsor

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

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of June 22, 2021
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Parliament of Canada Act to provide that Parliament is not to be prorogued for more than a specified number of days or during certain periods.

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.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-319s:

C-319 (2023) An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (amount of full pension)

C-319 (2016) An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, the Judges Act, the Public Service Superannuation Act and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act (survivor pension benefits)

C-319 (2013) National Strategy for Serious Injury Reduction in Amateur Sport Act

C-319 (2011) National Strategy for Serious Injury Reduction in Amateur Sport Act

C-319 (2010) An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (speed limiters)

C-319 (2009) An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (speed limiters)

Parliament of Canada ActRoutine Proceedings

June 22nd, 2021 / 10:15 a.m.

NDP

Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-319, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (prorogation).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to present a bill inspired by the work of retired procedural clerk, Thomas Hall, which was published in the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law in July 2020, entitled “Taming the Power to Prorogue Parliament”.

The bill goes hand in hand with my private member's motion, Motion No. 93, which seeks to establish some more explicit instructions on how the prime minister can judge whether he or she has the confidence of the House. However, this bill in particular would do three things that are meant to constrain the very broad power of prorogation the prime minister currently holds, without requiring a constitutional amendment.

Those three things are to ensure that prorogations do not last more than 10 sitting days, according to the House of Commons calendar; Parliament cannot be prorogued more than once in any 12-month period following the opening of the first session of Parliament; and Parliament cannot be prorogued between the day any estimates are presented to the House and the final supply day in that supply period.

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