1. Where Do Laws Come From?

2. First? Some guy (or girl) decides something should be a law. He or she writes it up and it is called a bill, as it is not yet a law (and may never end up being one.)

3. Where Do Laws Come From? How Do Bills Get “On The Table”? In order for bills to start the process of being considered for law status, somebody who works either in the House of Commons (or sometimes, the Senate) has to introduce it in there.

4. Where Do Laws Come From? Then How Does The Selection Process Work? The bill needs to pass three separate readings, and then receive royal assent or it will never be a law.

5. Where Do Laws Come From? Kinds of Bills Most bills are public bills, which propose laws that will affect the public. Some bills are private bills, which affect only one person or a small group, in terms of granting them a right or responsibility, or relieving them of it.

6. Where Do Laws Come From? Names For Bills When a public bill is introduced, it will be called something like Bill C-56 or Bill S-52. The “C” would mean it was proposed first by someone in the House of Commons. The “S” would mean it was proposed first by someone in the Senate. The bills are numbered so people know what order they will be read in. They are numbered 1- 200. There should not be more than 200 bills in the process of being read at one time.

7. Where Do Laws Come From? As Long as Bills are being Read, We Can Change Them Changing bills is called “amending” them. Once the bill is a law, it’s going to be enforced we’ll live in obedience to it until the government should agree upon how to change it, so much arguing happens before anyone will agree to accept each bill.

8. Where Do Laws Come From? Some Bills Make People Very Angry Right now people are concerned about an amendment (proposed change) to Bill C-10 which would allow the government an increased hand in deciding what films are obscene and then not giving them tax breaks.

9. Where Do Laws Come From? So You Want To Propose a Bill: Only the party in power can propose bills in the House of Commons You have to get the cabinet to agree to propose it, and there are ministers of various kinds (for instance, the Minister of Transportation etc) who can accept or refuse each Bill idea. If the ministry (people working with the minister in charge of what the bill affects) agrees, they give instructions that the bill shall be written up by the Department of Justice people, with instructions as to the wording of it. Bills need to be officially written up, worded carefully in both French and English.

10. Where Do Laws Come From? Cabinet Approval When the bill comes back from the Department of Justice, typed up in both languages, the cabinet in power decides whether it is ready to be read, or if it needs more work.

11. Where Do Laws Come From? Reading Bills in Parliament: First Reading The bill will be read and argued over in the same house that proposed it (Commons or Senate) This is a “hello, here’s what the bill sounds like” reading. There is no debate or voting at this point.

12. Where Do Laws Come From? Reading of Bills In Parliament: Second Reading Everybody gets copies of it in written form to look at. This is a “let’s really take this bill to pieces and see if we like it” reading. The house (Commons or Senate) then votes on whether they like the principle (general idea) of the bill. They can also send it to a committee for further work if they think it needs that. The committee can bring in experts to advise them about the bill and how it would work, if it were a law.

13. Where Do Laws Come From? Is The Bill Ready For a Third and Final Reading? The bill comes back after any committee work has been done, and a report is given to the House as to what’s been done (any amendments) the House will vote on every single amendment made to it.

14. Where Do Laws Come From? Third Reading The bill is read in a final form, and the senators or members of parliament are allowed to argue (debate) again, and then everyone votes. If the bill has gotten successfully through all these stages with winning votes, it will be sent to the other House (usually bills are proposed by people in the House of Commons, read three times, and then sent to the Senate)

15. Where Do Laws Come From? Royal Assent On behalf of the Queen (who won’t actually see the bills), the Governor General will read the bill and can do one of three things: Assent to it (she usually does this) Withhold assent (quite rare that she do this) Reserve assent If the Governor General gives Royal Assent to a bill, it will “come into effect” as a new, enforced law. The Governor General can also stipulate future dates when the whole bill, or sections of it, will come into effect.