How A Bill Becomes a Law in Canada 1
It all starts here... Watch "The Legislative Process in Canada" 1. Why do we have laws? 2. What is the "Rule of Law"? 3. Who enforces Canada's laws? 4. What is the "Ultimate Law"? 5. What does our constitution do for individual Canadians? 6. What are Canada's 3 levels of government? 7. Which branch of government makes most law? 8. How many elected representatives are tere in this branch? 9. What is a "bill"? 10. What is a government bill? What is a Private Members' bill? 11. How many readings does a bill go through before it becomes a law? 12. What is "Royal Assent"? 2
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What is a "bill"? a proposed law put before the legislature (a wannabe law) Two basic types of bills in Canada Public (government) bills private bills 4
Public (Government) Bills Are introduced by a member of the Prime Minister's Cabinet They tend to deal with issues of national importance (taxes, budget, borrowing money, etc.) they are categorized by the letter "C" at the beginning and are usually numbered in the order that they are received, starting 1 200 (ie. Bill C 7) 5
Public (Private Member's Bills) are introduced by a member of the Opposition Generally deal with less important issues numbered from C201 C1000 6
Private Bill Introduced in the Senate The purpose of a private bill is to exempt a person or group of persons, including a corporation, from the application of a statute. It may not be introduced by a Minister, and must be based on a petition signed by those interested in promoting it. Numbered C 1001 7
To differentiate between bills that start in the House of Commons or Senate, each bill is tagged with either a "C" for House of Commons, or an "S" for Senate. 8
First Reading The bill is considered read for the first time and is printed Second Reading Members debate the bill's principles Committee Stage Committee members study the bill clause by clause Report Stage Members can make other amendments Third Reading Members debate and vote on the bill Senate The bill follows a similar process Royal Assent The bill receives Royal Assent after being passed by both houses 9
Royal Assent Officially the Queen Elizabeth II is still Canada's Head of State. As such, all bills require her consent. In Canada, consent if given by the Governor General, the Queen's representative, who signs all bills into law. David Johnston 10
A Proclamation Date is set at which time the new law will come into effect. A bill... Is now a law. 11
Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods What are alternative dispute resolution methods (ADR)? they are ways of resolving issues/disputes peacefully without having to resort to courts Three Basic Types: A) Negotiation B) Mediation C) Arbitration 12
A) Negotiation is the process where both parties get together and try to resolve the issue themselves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nubvjynfawc&nr=l http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeqddndc g&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 1zMwXtEODI 13
B) Mediation is the process where the two parties agree on a third party (mediator) to listen to both side's arguments and suggest possible solutions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yizpb7gplys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c85tjflyb4s 14
C) Arbitration is the process where the two parties agree to a third party (arbitrator) to listen to both side's arguments and come up with a legally binding solution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb9exckoctu 15