MPs preparing to push private members’ bills seek broad support, but wouldn’t mind getting scooped by government
The next round of MPs who get to take a crack at passing private members’ bills are prepping their legislative plans and, in some cases, praying the government acts first. “I’ve tabled my bill and I’m hoping that’s kind of pushing them along. I don’t care if they take all the credit, and they’re the […]
Senators see their public bills as chance to fill gaps in government agenda
PARLIAMENT HILL—Senate public bills provide an opportunity for Parliamentarians to fill legislative holes and tackle important public policy issues not on the government’s agenda, say Senators with public bills before the House of Commons. There are 11 Senate public bills—the equivalent of MPs’ private members’ bills—before the House, and their sponsors say so far this […]
House officer, research caucus spending to go public
House leaders, whips, the Speaker, and other top players in the House of Commons will have to publicly disclose their spending, with the first report due next summer, thanks to changes made by the Board of Internal Economy in a June meeting. The changes were made as part of the board’s “ongoing commitment to transparency […]
Shared Services Canada to begin talks on allowing federal departments to ‘opt out’ from centralized IT service
Shared Services Canada is exploring transferring some responsibilities for federal information technology systems back to individual departments and agencies, in the wake of legislative changes weakening the agency’s monopoly on digital services. Pat Breton, director general of procurement and vendor relations with SSC, said the agency has started reaching out to the 43 federal departments and agencies […]
MPs plan Senate offensive to get private members’ bills through
MPs whose private members’ bills have passed into the Senate say they’re unsure what lies ahead for their legislation in an increasingly independent Senate. While there is hope that a less party-disciplined Senate could make for more open-mindedness to bills, Liberal and Conservative MPs are preparing to boost their lobbying efforts in the Upper Chamber […]
NDP awaits key court decision in satellite-office saga after two days of hearings
Three years in, the NDP’s court battle with the House Board of Internal Economy over orders to repay satellite office and mail-out costs continues, with both sides now awaiting judgment on a motion to dismiss the NDP’s challenge filed by the board’s lawyers. A decision is expected later this summer, after hearings on the motion […]
Meet NDP MP Don Davies, the MP with the most private members’ bills introduced in the House and zero chance of passing one
PARLIAMENT HILL—NDP MP Don Davies has so far tabled 16 private members’ bills in this Parliament, the most of any MP in the House. It’s a title he’s defending from the last Parliament too, but right now he has about zero chance of advancing any one of them in this Parliament. And that’s just fine […]
How a farm boy from Logan Township became one of the biggest procedural nerds in the House
For rookie Conservative MP John Nater, it all started at an auction sale in his hometown of Mitchell, Ont. He was in his early teens and his MPP Hugh Edighoffer, a former speaker in the Ontario legislature, was selling some of his collection of books, including 30 years worth of Hansard from Queen’s Park. “I […]
Secretive House board poised to go public, remains to be seen how open it will be
The House Board of Internal Economy’s next meeting, set for this fall, is expected to be its first ever open to the public, with legislation requiring this now passed. But it remains unclear just how open the board will be going forward and how the new setup will shake out. While there are provisions for […]
Liberals expect to make department spending reviews permanent
The Trudeau government is planning to repeat a round of audits of federal departments and agencies promised in this year’s budget in future years as well, putting multiple government institutions in the crosshairs annually. Jean-Luc Ferland, press secretary to Treasury Board President Scott Brison (Kings-Hants, N.S.), said the three departments selected for review this year […]
