Order Paper and Notice Paper
The Order Paper and Notice Paper is a document that guides the deliberations of the Senate and lists items of business currently before it. These items are listed in several different categories and in a priority according to an arrangement adopted by the Senate as stipulated in the rules. The majority of these items constitute the Orders of the Day which are called following Routine Proceedings. These items are themselves divided into two principal categories - government business and other business. Within each of these two categories are items for bills, motions, inquiries and reports of committees.
The Notice Paper contains the text of motions and inquiries not yet called for debate.
The Order Paper and Notice Paper is prepared every day in advance of the actual sitting.
Order of Business
(The following is an outline of a typical sitting day in the Senate. Variations are possible subject to the Rules and to the decisions of the Senate.)
Senators' Statements (15 minutes)
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS (30 minutes)
1. Tabling of Documents
2. Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees
3. Government Notices of Motions
4. Government Notices of Inquiries
5. Introduction and First Reading of Government Bills
6. Introduction and First Reading of Senate Public Bills
7. First Reading of Commons Public Bills
8. Reading of Petitions for Private Bills
9. Introduction and First Reading of Private Bills
10. Tabling of Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations
11. Notices of Motions
12. Notices of Inquiries
13. Tabling of Petitions
Question Period (30 minutes)
Delayed Answers
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Government Business
• Bills — Messages from the House of Commons
• Bills — Third Reading
• Bills — Reports of Committees
• Bills — Second Reading
• Reports of Committees — Other
• Motions
• Inquiries
• Other
Other Business
• Bills — Messages from the House of Commons
• Senate Public Bills — Third Reading
• Commons Public Bills — Third Reading
• Private Bills — Third Reading
• Senate Public Bills — Reports of Committees
• Commons Public Bills — Reports of Committees
• Private Bills — Reports of Committees
• Senate Public Bills — Second Reading
• Commons Public Bills — Second Reading
• Private Bills — Second Reading
• Reports of Committees — Other
• Motions
• Inquiries
• Other
NOTICE PAPER
• Notices of Motions
• Notices of Inquiries
Orders Of The Day
Government Business
Bills – Messages from the House of Commons
Nil
Bills – Third Reading
Nil
Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Bills – Second Reading
Nil
Reports of Committees – Other
Nil
Motions
No. 1.
By the Honourable Senator Mitchell:
December 5, 2019—Consideration of Her Excellency the Governor General’s Speech from the Throne at the opening of the First Session of the Forty-third Parliament.
Inquiries
Nil
Other
Nil
Other Business
Rule 4-15(2) states:
Except as otherwise ordered by the Senate, any item of Other Business on the Order Paper and any motion or inquiry on the Notice Paper that have not been proceeded with during 15 sitting days shall be dropped from the Order Paper and Notice Paper.
Consequently, the number appearing in parentheses indicates the number of sittings since the item was last proceeded with.
Bills – Messages from the House of Commons
Nil
Senate Public Bills – Third Reading
Nil
Commons Public Bills – Third Reading
Nil
Private Bills – Third Reading
Nil
Senate Public Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Commons Public Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Private Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Senate Public Bills – Second Reading
For Thursday, December 12, 2019
No. 1.
December 10, 2019—Second reading of Bill S-201, An Act to amend the Borrowing Authority Act.—(Honourable Senator Day)
No. 2.
December 10, 2019—Second reading of Bill S-202, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy).—(Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.)
No. 3.
December 10, 2019—Second reading of Bill S-203, An Act to amend the National Capital Act (buildings or works of national significance).—(Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.)
No. 4.
December 10, 2019—Second reading of Bill S-204, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (trafficking in human organs).—(Honourable Senator Ataullahjan)
Commons Public Bills – Second Reading
Nil
Private Bills – Second Reading
Nil
Reports of Committees – Other
Nil
Motions
Nil
Inquiries
Nil
Other
Nil
Notice Paper
Motions
No. 5.
By the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.:
December 10, 2019—That, in order to preserve the authority, dignity and reputation of the Senate of Canada, and in light of the following reports from the First Session of the Forty-second Parliament:
1.the Senate Ethics Officer’s Inquiry Report under the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators concerning [then] Senator Don Meredith, dated March 9, 2017;
2.the Second Report of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators presented on May 7, 2017;
3.the Senate Ethics Officer’s Inquiry Report under the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators concerning former Senator Don Meredith, dated June 28, 2019; and
4.the Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators tabled on July 29, 2019;
the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators be authorized to examine and report on the advisability of adopting the following motion:
That the Senate call on the Prime Minister to recommend to Her Excellency the Governor General that former senator Don Meredith be excluded from the application of section 6 of the Table of Titles to be used in Canada, and no longer entitled to the style of “Honourable”, and that former senator Meredith no longer receive any precedence or status that would normally be accorded a former senator.;
That in conducting its examination of this question, the committee afford former Senator Meredith the opportunity to be heard by the committee;
That notwithstanding the provisions of rule 12-28(1), the committee be empowered to meet in public for the purposes of this study if it accepts a request from former Senator Meredith to that effect; and
That the committee present its final report no later than January 31, 2020.
No. 6.
By the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C.:
December 10, 2019—That, in light of the reports of the Senate Ethics Officer dated March 9, 2017, and June 28, 2019, concerning the breaches by former Senator Don Meredith of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators, the Senate call upon the Prime Minister to advise Her Excellency the Governor General to take the necessary steps to revoke the honorific style and title of “Honourable” from former senator Meredith.
No. 7.
By the Honourable Senator Gold:
December 10, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence be authorized to examine and report on the body of issues known as “intelligence to evidence”, when and if the committee is formed; and
That the committee submit its final report no later than December 31, 2020.
No. 8.
By the Honourable Senator Housakos:
December 10, 2019—That the Senate call upon the Government of Canada to impose sanctions against Chinese and/or Hong Kong officials, pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law), in light of the violation of human rights, of the principles of fundamental justice and of the rule of law in relation to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong and to the systematic persecution of minority Muslims in China.
No. 9.
By the Honourable Senator Housakos:
December 10, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence be authorized to examine and report on the prospect of allowing Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. to be part of Canada’s 5G network, when and if the committee is formed; and
That the committee submit its final report no later than April 30, 2020.
No. 10.
By the Honourable Senator Lankin, P.C.:
December 10, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, when and if it is formed, be authorized to examine and report on the future of workers in order to evaluate:
(a)how data and information on the gig economy in Canada is being collected and potential gaps in knowledge;
(b)the effectiveness of current labour protections for people who work through digital platforms and temporary foreign workers programs;
(c)the negative impacts of precarious work and the gig economy on benefits, pensions and other government services relating to employment; and
(d)the accessibility of retraining and skills development programs for workers;
That in conducting this evaluation the committee pay particular attention to the negative effects of precarious employment being disproportionately felt by workers of colour, new immigrant and indigenous workers; and
That the committee submit its final report on this study to the Senate no later than April 7, 2022.
Inquiries
For Thursday, December 12, 2019
No. 1.
By the Honourable Senator Omidvar:
December 10, 2019—That she will call the attention of the Senate to the link between Canada’s past, present and future prosperity and its deep connection to immigration.
No. 2.
By the Honourable Senator Manning:
December 10, 2019—That he will call the attention of the Senate to the life of Larry Dohey.
No. 3.
By the Honourable Senator Klyne:
December 10, 2019—That he will call the attention of the Senate to the unrecognized histories and meaningful contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
Written Questions
No. 1.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
December 10, 2019—Regarding the presence of Drug Recognition Experts 24 hours a day at RCMP detachments:
1.As of November 1, 2019, how many RCMP detachments dispose of the 24-hour a day presence of a Drug Recognition Expert?
2.How many drug recognition experts were employed by the RCMP in January 2019?
3.How many drug recognition experts were employed by the RCMP in November 2019?
No. 2.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
December 10, 2019—Regarding approved cannabis producers, please provide a list of those that have been issued a license by Health Canada for each of the following products, respectively:
(a)dried marijuana;
(b)fresh marijuana;
(c)cannabis oil;
(d)medical marijuana; and
(e)edible marijuana.
No. 3.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
December 10, 2019—Regarding the Cannabis Act and its Regulations, how many applications were received in 2019 to conduct activities in relation to each the following classes and subclasses of licences:
•Cultivation (including licences for micro- and standard cultivation and nursery);
•Processing (including licences for micro- and standard processing); and
•Sale for medical purposes.
Of the companies who applied under the Cannabis Act and its Regulations to conduct activities in relation to each of the classes and subclasses of licences, how many had their application rejected due to:
(a)Criminal record; or
(b)Any security concern, excluding a criminal record.
No. 4.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
December 10, 2019—Regarding the Cannabis Act and the Cannabis Regulations, how many security clearance applications were (1) received and (2) denied for each of the following categories of licences: (a) cultivation of cannabis, (b) processing of cannabis and (c) sale of cannabis, for the years 2018 and 2019.
No. 5.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
December 10, 2019—Regarding the list of individuals who are automatically required to hold a security clearance according to section 50 of the Cannabis Regulations, how many applicants failed the security clearance requirements for each of the following categories:
1.directors;
2.officers;
3.partners;
4.heads of security;
5.licence holders (where holder is an individual); and
6.master growers.
No. 6.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
December 10, 2019—Regarding the purchase of approved drug testing devices, what is the number and unit cost of the Dräger DrugTest 5000 detection devices purchased by the RCMP between October 17, 2018 and October 17, 2019?
No. 7.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—With regard to the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement:
Under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Canadian and European exporters have quotas set for them, allowing a certain amount of a given product to be traded between one jurisdiction and the other.
For the period September 21, 2017 to December 1, 2019:
1. What percentage of each export quota did Canadian exporters fill in trade with the European Union?
2. What percentage of each export quota did European Union exporters fill in trade with Canada?
No. 8.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—With regard to Federal Public Service Employment:
For the period March 31, 2000 to March 31, 2019:
How many people worked for the Public Service of Canada (as defined by the Public Service Employment Act), by department, per geographical area for each of the years in the period specified?
No. 9.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—Regarding possible overseas tax evasion and the LGT Bank in Liechtenstein where information was disclosed in 2008, indicating 106 Canadian accounts, as of December 1, 2019:
1. How many Canadians (individuals, trusts, foundations and companies) have been determined to have had accounts in LGT Bank?
2. How much money has been identified as owing to the Government of Canada?
3. How many Canadians (individuals, trusts, foundations and companies) have been determined to owe money to the Government of Canada?
4. What are the names of the individuals, companies, trusts and foundations determined to owe money to the Government of Canada?
5. How many Canadians (individuals, trusts, foundations and companies) have been charged with overseas tax evasion?
6. What are the names of the individuals, companies, trusts and foundations charged?
7. In which court and in which cities were these charges laid?
8. How many were convicted?
9. Of those convictions:
(a) What was the largest fine, and what was the smallest?
(b) What was the longest term of imprisonment, and what was the shortest?
10. How much money identified as owing has been collected by the Canada Revenue Agency?
No. 10.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—Regarding possible overseas tax evasion and the “Paradise Papers”, a 2017 leak of information from the law firm Appleby and the corporate registries of 19 tax jurisdictions, as of December 1, 2019:
1. How many Canadians (individuals, trusts, foundations and companies) have been identified by the Canada Revenue Agency as a result of this leak?
2. How much money has been identified as owing to the Government of Canada?
3. How many Canadians (individuals, trusts, foundations and companies) have been determined to owe money to the Government of Canada?
4. What are the names of the individuals, companies, trusts and foundations determined to owe money to the Government of Canada?
5. How many Canadians (individuals, trusts, foundations and companies) have been charged with overseas tax evasion?
6. What are the names of the individuals, companies, trusts and foundations charged?
7. In which court and in which cities were these charges laid?
8. How many were convicted?
9. Of those convictions:
(a) What was the largest fine, and what was the smallest?
(b) What was the longest term of imprisonment, and what was the shortest?
10. How much money identified as owing has been collected by the Canada Revenue Agency?
No. 11.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the granting of a visa waiver for citizens of a foreign country:
1. What is the visa refusal rate, for the past five years, for citizens of: (i) Romania, (ii) Bulgaria?
2. What is the rate of immigration rules violations, for the past five years, for citizens of: (i) Romania, (ii) Bulgaria?
No. 12.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the granting of a visa waiver for citizens of a foreign country:
1. What is the visa refusal rate, for the past five years, for citizens of Mexico?
2. What is the rate of immigration rules violations, for the past five years, and for which data is available, for citizens of Mexico?
No. 13.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
December 10, 2019—With respect to a report in the Toronto Star on May 30th 2019, about tax evasion in the real estate markets of Ontario and British Columbia, and claims that “Canada Revenue Agency audits have added more than $1 billion to government coffers”, would the Government of Canada provide the following information:
1. How many Canadians (individuals or companies/corporations) have been identified as having evaded taxes through real estate transactions?
2. How many non-Canadians (individuals or companies/corporations) have been identified as having evaded taxes through real estate transactions?
3. Of those Canadians (individuals or companies/corporations) identified, how many of them are being, or have been reviewed by the Canada Revenue Agency?
4. Of those non-Canadians (individuals or companies/corporations) identified, how many of them are being, or have been reviewed by the Canada Revenue Agency?
5. How many audits have been undertaken against these Canadians by the Canada Revenue Agency?
(a) How many reassessments or related compliance actions have been undertaken?
6. How many audits have been closed?
7. How many audits are still ongoing?
8. How many audits have been undertaken against these non-Canadians by the Canada Revenue Agency?
(a) How many reassessments or related compliance actions have been undertaken?
9. How many audits have been closed?
10. How many audits are still ongoing?
11. How many identified Canadians have availed themselves of the Voluntary Disclosure Program with the Canada Revenue Agency?
12. How many identified non-Canadians have availed themselves of the Voluntary Disclosure Program with the Canada Revenue Agency?
13. How many identified Canadians have settled with the Canada Revenue Agency?
14. How many identified non-Canadians have settled with the Canada Revenue Agency?
15. How much money, including unpaid taxes, fines, etc., has the Canada Revenue Agency assessed as a result of investigating these cases?
16. Regarding Question 15, what is the breakdown of the money assessed from these cases, specifically:
(a) in unpaid taxes;
(b) in interest;
(c) in fines; and
(d) in penalties?
17. How much of the money has been collected?
18. How many of these cases are under appeal?
19. How many cases remain open?
20. How many of the cases have been closed, i.e. the full amount of taxes, interest, fines and penalties have been collected?
21. How many tax evasion charges have been laid?
22. How many convictions have been recorded?