Pursuant to notice of May 8, 2024, moved:

That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules, previous order or usual practice:

1.in accordance with rule 10-11(1), the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance be authorized to examine the subject matter of all of Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024, introduced in the House of Commons on May 2, 2024, in advance of the said bill coming before the Senate;

2.in addition, the following committees be separately authorized to examine the subject matter of the following elements contained in Bill C-69:

(a)the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy: those elements contained in Divisions 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 33, 41 and 42 of Part 4, and in Subdivision A of Division 34 of Part 4;

(b)the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources: those elements contained in Division 28 of Part 4;

(c)the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade: those elements contained in Divisions 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Part 4;

(d)the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples: those elements contained in Divisions 25 and 26 of Part 4;

(e)the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs: those elements contained in Divisions 29, 30, 35, 36, 43 and 44 of Part 4, and in Subdivisions B and C of Division 34 of Part 4;

(f)the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs: those elements contained in Division 39 of Part 4;

(g)the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages: those elements contained in Division 24 of Part 4;

(h)the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology: those elements contained in Divisions 3, 4, 5, 14, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32 and 38 of Part 4; and

(i)the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications: those elements contained in Divisions 27 and 37 of Part 4;

3.each of the committees listed in point 2 that are authorized to examine the subject matter of particular elements of Bill C-69:

(a)submit its final report to the Senate no later than June 10, 2024; and

(b)be authorized to deposit its report with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting;

4.as the reports from the various committees authorized to examine the subject matter of particular elements of Bill C-69 are tabled in the Senate, they be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting, provided that if a report is deposited with the Clerk, it be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting following the one on which the depositing is recorded in the Journals of the Senate;

5.the aforementioned committees be authorized to meet for the purposes of their studies of the subject matter of all or particular elements of Bill C-69, even though the Senate may then be sitting or adjourned, with the application of rules 12-18(1) and 12-18(2) being suspended in relation thereto; and

6.the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance be authorized to take any reports tabled under point 3 into consideration during its study of the subject matter of all of Bill C-69, submit its final report to the Senate no later than June 17, 2024, and be authorized to deposit its report with the Clerk if the Senate is not then sitting.

I have a question for the government leader.

Senator Gold, it has been the practice here, and there has been a discussion about pre-studies of, particularly, budget implementation bills, or BIAs. They don’t come to us in the time we would like. One of the things you have talked about and other proponents of pre-studies have talked about is that sometimes when we do a pre-study, it also signals to the House of Commons a problem that we may have with the bill.

You know that our group and others have problems with everything but the kitchen sink being put in budget bills that have nothing to do with budgets. Would you agree that a pre-study in this particular case could be helpful for us looking and signalling to the House of Commons anything that we see in the pre-study that we may find problematic as being resident in the budget bill?

Thank you for your question. The important thing for the Senate is to have the time and to take the time to properly study measures that come before us. No more or less important, but certainly as important as any other matter — of course — is the budget bill.

This budget bill is a large one, as have been previous budget bills. That is why we’ll be sending the motion that is before you not only to the Finance Committee — as is our tradition — but to many other committees. The committees to which it is being sent were reviewed by all groups. Helpful suggestions were given to us and incorporated in the motion — as you know — from the opposition, from your group and others.

I have every confidence in the Senate committees that will be examining it, and I would not presume what response they will have or whatever messages those committees may seek to communicate, much less how the government will receive them.