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.
December 8, 2015—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Jaffer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy:
That the following Address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:
We, Her Majesty’s most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Senate of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of 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
No. 1. (one)
February 24, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Runciman, seconded by the Honourable Senator Patterson, for the second reading of Bill S-217, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (detention in custody).—(Honourable Senator Fraser)
No. 2. (one)
February 23, 2016—Second reading of Bill S-219, An Act to deter Iran-sponsored terrorism, incitement to hatred, and human rights violations.—(Honourable Senator Tkachuk)
No. 3. (three)
February 18, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Jaffer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Baker, P.C., for the second reading of Bill S-210, An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.—(Honourable Senator Ataullahjan)
No. 4. (four)
February 17, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Cordy, seconded by the Honourable Senator Baker, P.C., for the second reading of Bill S-211, An Act respecting National Sickle Cell Awareness Day.—(Honourable Senator Meredith)
No. 5. (five)
February 4, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Mercer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day, for the second reading of Bill S-213, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speakership of the Senate).—(Honourable Senator Plett)
No. 6. (six)
February 3, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Stewart Olsen, seconded by the Honourable Senator Johnson, for the second reading of Bill S-214, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (cruelty-free cosmetics).—(Honourable Senator Fraser)
No. 7. (six)
February 4, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Moore, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day, for the second reading of Bill S-204, An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act (borrowing of money).—(Honourable Senator Bellemare)
No. 8. (seven)
February 3, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Chaput, seconded by the Honourable Senator Moore, for the second reading of Bill S-209, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act (communications with and services to the public).—(Honourable Senator Maltais)
No. 9. (eight)
February 2, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C., for the second reading of Bill S-206, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children against standard child-rearing violence).—(Honourable Senator Plett)
No. 10. (nine)
January 27, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Dyck, seconded by the Honourable Senator Eggleton, P.C., for the second reading of Bill S-215, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sentencing for violent offences against Aboriginal women).—(Honourable Senator Marshall)
No. 11. (ten)
January 27, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Moore, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dawson, for the second reading of Bill S-203, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts (ending the captivity of whales and dolphins).—(Honourable Senator Johnson)
No. 12. (ten)
January 26, 2016—Second reading of Bill S-216, An Act to provide the means to rationalize the governance of Canadian public corporations.—(Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C.)
No. 13. (thirteen)
December 9, 2015—Second reading of Bill S-212, An Act for the advancement of the aboriginal languages of Canada and to recognize and respect aboriginal language rights.—(Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.)
No. 14. (fourteen)
December 8, 2015—Second reading of Bill S-202, An Act to amend the Divorce Act (shared parenting plans).—(Honourable Senator Cools)
No. 15. (fourteen)
December 8, 2015—Second reading of Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Canada Border Services Agency Act (Inspector General of the Canada Border Services Agency) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.—(Honourable Senator Moore)
No. 16. (fourteen)
December 8, 2015—Second reading of Bill S-207, An Act to modernize the composition of the boards of directors of certain corporations, financial institutions and parent Crown corporations, and in particular to ensure the balanced representation of women and men on those boards.—(Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C.)
No. 17. (three)
February 18, 2016—Second reading of Bill S-218, An Act respecting Latin American Heritage Month.—(Honourable Senator Enverga)
Commons Public Bills – Second Reading
Nil
Private Bills – Second Reading
Nil
Reports of Committees – Other
No. 1.
February 25, 2016—Consideration of the third report of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (Senate budget for 2016-2017), presented in the Senate on February 25, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Housakos)
No. 2.
February 25, 2016—Consideration of the first report of the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, entitled Medical Assistance in Dying: A Patient-Centred Approach, deposited with the Clerk of the Senate on February 25, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Ogilvie)
Motions
No. 51.
February 25, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Eggleton, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Dawson:
That the Senate encourage the federal government, after appropriate consultations, to sponsor along with one or more of the provinces/territories a pilot project, and any complementary studies, to evaluate the cost and impact of implementing a national basic income program based on a negative income tax for the purpose of helping Canadians to escape poverty.—(Honourable Senator Bellemare)
No. 60.
February 25, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Wallace, seconded by the Honourable Senator Demers:
That, in order to provide for a representative of independent, non-partisan senators to be elected to the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators;
1. The Rules of the Senate be amended by replacing rule 12-27(1) by the following:
“Appointment of Committee
12-27. (1) As soon as practicable at the beginning of each session, the Leader of the recognized party with the largest number of Senators shall move a motion, seconded by the Leader of the recognized party with the second largest number of Senators, on the membership of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators. This motion shall be deemed adopted without debate or vote, and a similar motion shall be moved for any substitutions in the membership of the Committee.”; and
2. The Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators be amended by replacing subsections 35(4) to (6) by the following:
“Election of members
(4) Two of the Committee members shall be elected by secret ballot in the caucus of the recognized party with the largest number of Senators at the opening of the session; two of the Committee members shall be elected by secret ballot in the caucus of the recognized party with the second largest number of Senators at the opening of the session; the fifth member shall be elected by secret ballot by the majority of the Senators who are authorized to attend sittings of the Senate and who do not belong to the caucus of the recognized party with either the largest or second largest number of Senators at an in camera meeting called by the Clerk of the Senate at the opening of the session.
Presentation and adoption of motion
(5) The Leader of the recognized party with the largest number of Senators, seconded by the Leader of the recognized party with the second largest number of Senators, shall present a motion on the full membership of the Committee to the Senate, which motion shall be deemed adopted without any debate or vote.
Chair
(6) The Chair of the Committee shall be elected by its five members.”.—(Honourable Senator Demers)
No. 43. (four)
February 4, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Fraser, seconded by the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.:
That, notwithstanding rule 12-27(1) and subsections 35(1), (4), (5) and (8) of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators, the Honourable Senators Andreychuk, Cordy, Frum, Joyal, P.C. and Tannas, be appointed to serve on the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators, until such time as a motion pursuant to rule 12-27(1) is adopted by the Senate; and
That, when a vacancy occurs in the membership of the committee before the establishment of the committee pursuant to rule 12-27(1), the replacement member shall be appointed by order of the Senate.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator McCoy, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wallace:
That the motion be not now adopted, but that it be amended by replacing all words following the words “Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators,” by the following:
“the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators be composed of two Conservative senators, two Liberal senators, and one independent senator;
That the Conservative senators select the Conservative members to sit on the committee by means of a secret ballot;
That the Liberal senators select the Liberal members to sit on the committee by means of a secret ballot;
That the independent senators who are authorized to attend the Senate select the independent member to sit on the committee by means of a secret ballot;
That each of the groups of Conservative, Liberal and independent senators select a representative to move a motion in the Senate without notice that the selected senator or senators be a member or members of the committee, which motion shall be deemed seconded and adopted when moved;
That, when a vacancy occurs in the membership of the committee before the establishment of the committee pursuant to rule 12-27(1), the replacement member be appointed by the same process used to name the previous member of the committee; and
That the membership of Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators as established pursuant to this motion remain in effect until such time as a motion pursuant to rule 12-27(1) is adopted by the Senate.”.—(Honourable Senator Frum)
No. 7. (eight)
December 9, 2015—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Wallace, seconded by the Honourable Senator McCoy:
That the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, when and if it is formed, be authorized to examine and report on Senate practices, and provisions in the Rules of the Senate, relating to committees, including senators’ memberships on committees, in order to evaluate whether all senators:
(a) are, in practice, treated equally, and with fairness and equity, irrespective of whether they sit as government members, as opposition members, as members of recognized parties or as independent senators; and
(b) have reasonable and equal opportunities to fully participate in and contribute, through committee work and membership, to this chamber’s role as a complementary legislative body of sober second thought, thereby enabling all senators to adequately fulfill their constitutional roles and responsibilities;
That in conducting this evaluation the Rules Committee pay particular attention to:
(a)the process for selecting members of the Committee of Selection, so that all senators can be considered for membership on that committee, and so that the interests of all senators, whether they sit as government members, as opposition members, as members of recognized parties or as independent senators, are represented in the membership of that committee; and
(b)the process whereby the Committee of Selection develops its recommendations for membership of the other committees;
That the Rules Committee also take into account the anticipated increase in the number of senators who are not members of a recognized party and how this emerging reality should be taken into account, including during the current session;
That the Rules Committee recommend necessary amendments to the Rules and adjustments in Senate practice based upon the results of its examination; and
That the Rules Committee present its final report on this study to the Senate no later than March 31, 2016.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Enverga:
That the motion be not now adopted, but that it be amended by replacing the paragraph reading:
“That the Rules Committee also take into account the anticipated increase in the number of senators who are not members of a recognized party and how this emerging reality should be taken into account, including during the current session;”
by the following:
“That the Rules Committee also take into account the anticipated increase in the number of senators who are not members of a recognized party so that they are able to form a group of independent senators with the resources and rights available to a party recognized under the Rules of the Senate;”.—(Honourable Senator McCoy)
No. 31. (eight)
February 2, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Enverga:
That the Senate — in order to ensure transparency in the awarding of public funds and foster efficiency in infrastructure projects in the larger context of economic diversification and movement toward a greener economy, all while avoiding undue intervention in the federal-provincial division of powers — encourage the government to make provision in the budget for the creation of the Canadian Infrastructure Oversight and Best Practices Council, made up of experts in infrastructure projects from the provinces and territories, whose principal roles would be to:
1.collect information on federally funded infrastructure projects;
2. study the costs and benefits of federally funded infrastructure projects;
3. identify procurements best practices and of risk sharing;
4. promote these best practices among governments; and
5. promote project managers skills development; and
That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint that House with the above. —(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 25. (eleven)
January 26, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Fraser:
That this case of privilege, relating to the leaks of the Auditor General’s report on the audit of the Senate, be referred to the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament for an independent inquiry be ordered and a report publicly released without delay.—(Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C.)
No. 6. (twelve)
December 11, 2015—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Mercer:
That the Senate of Canada call on the government to establish a program similar to the Atomic Veterans Recognition Program in order to offer $24,000 in compensation to the civilian volunteers and employees who assisted in decontamination work at the nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, in 1952 and 1958 and who were excluded from the Program, which was available only to the personal of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 9. (twelve)
December 11, 2015—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Hervieux-Payette, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Day:
That the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, when and if it is formed, be authorized to examine and report on Canada’s export performance as compared to international best practices in order to provide recommendations to improve Canada’s current export performance, the worst in 30 years according to the OECD;
That the committee make a preliminary report on the current export performance to the Senate no later than April 14, 2016; and
That the committee make to the Senate a final report on the implementation of an integrated policy for all partners to improve Canadian exports to all countries, especially those with which Canada has a free trade agreement, no later than December 16, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Bellemare)
Inquiries
No. 1. (thirteen)
December 10, 2015—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Chaput, calling the attention of the Senate to the Program to Support Linguistic Rights, the importance of ensuring public financing of court actions that seek to create a fair and just society and to the urgent need for the federal government to re-establish the Court Challenges Program.—(Honourable Senator Maltais)
Other
Nil
Notice Paper
Motions
No. 64.
By the Honourable Senator Johnson:
February 24, 2016—That the Rules of the Senate be amended by:
1.deleting the word “and” at the end of rule 12-3(2)(e) in the English version;
2.replacing the period at the end of rule 12-3(2)(f) by the following:
“; and
(g) the Standing Senate Committee on Culture, Communications and Heritage, nine Senators.”;
3.replacing rule 12-7(6) by the following:
“Transport
12-7. (6) the Standing Senate Committee on Transport, to which may be referred matters relating to transport generally, including:
(a) transport by any means,
(b) tourist traffic,
(c) common carriers, and
(d) navigation, shipping and navigable waters;”;
4.deleting rule 12-7(9)(a) and re-lettering rules 12-7(9)(b) to (i) as 12-7(9)(a) to (h);
5.deleting the word “and” at the end of rule 12-7(15) in the English version;
6.replacing the period at the end of rule 12-7(16) by the following:
“; and
Culture, Communications and Heritage
12-7. (17) the Standing Senate Committee on Culture, Communications and Heritage, to which may be referred matters relating to culture, communications and heritage generally.”; and
7.by updating all cross references in the Rules, including the lists of exceptions, accordingly; and
That the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as it existed before the adoption of this motion continue as the Standing Senate Committee on Transport.
No. 65.
By the Honourable Senator Carignan, P.C.:
February 25, 2016—That, in order to allow the Senate to receive a Minister of the Crown during Question Period as authorized by the Senate on December 10, 2015, and notwithstanding rule 4-7, when the Senate sits on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, Question Period shall begin at 3:30 p.m., with any proceedings then before the Senate being interrupted until the end of Question Period;
That, if a standing vote would conflict with the holding of Question Period at 3:30 p.m. on that day, the vote be postponed until immediately after the conclusion of Question Period;
That, if the bells are ringing for a vote at 3:30 p.m. on that day, they be interrupted for Question Period at that time, and resume thereafter for the balance of any time remaining; and
That, if the Senate concludes its business before 3:30 p.m. on that day, the sitting be suspended until that time for the purpose of holding Question Period.
Inquiries
No. 2. (thirteen)
By the Honourable Senator Jaffer:
December 9, 2015—That she will call the attention of the Senate to the human rights implications of climate change, and how it will affect the most vulnerable in Canada and the world by threatening their right to food, water, health, adequate shelter, life, and self-determination.
No. 3. (nine)
By the Honourable Senator Fraser:
January 28, 2016—That she will call the attention of the Senate to the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.
No. 4. (seven)
By the Honourable Senator Hubley:
February 2, 2016—That she will call the attention of the Senate to the current state of literacy and literacy programs in Canada, and in particular in Prince Edward Island.
No. 5. (six)
By the Honourable Senator McCoy:
February 3, 2016—That she will call the attention of the Senate to partisanship, politics, policy and party and how they play out in a Parliament.
No. 6.
By the Honourable Senator Ngo:
February 24, 2016—That he will call the attention of the Senate to the hostile behavior of the People’s Republic of China in the escalating territorial claim dispute in the South China Sea.
Written Questions
Nil