jpdesautels-blog

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The Alberta Party recently put forth its first bill since being elected. Bill 209, also known as the Strategies for Unemployed and Underemployed Albertans Act, was built by consulting multiple groups of people including: economists, First Nations, recruiters and unemployed people over the course of multiple months.

It aims to help unemployed or underemployed Albertans to get back into full employment.

However, private members of the government have complained at the lack of debates regarding their own bills due to the focus put onto Bill 209 by the government’s executive branch and other emergency business.

In addition to this, 2018′s current sitting is set to end on Thursday which would prevent it from being voted on in time.

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A group of First Nation Chiefs traveled to Ottawa this week to speak with the Senate about Bill C-48. They argued in favour of the bill as it would protect British Columbia’s coast’s ecosystem. These waters had previously been damaged 2 years ago by an American barge that sank after running aground. As this is their only source of revenue, they want to avoid having a repeat incident which would be catastrophic if a similar event were to happen to an oil tanker.

On the opposite side, are the province of Alberta and multiple First Nations groups located there. They say a ban on supertankers would destroy any hopes for a $16-billion project to build a pipeline to bring oil from Fort McMurray to Prince Rupert in British Columbia.

Senators are also divided on this topic. On one side, arguments are made that there is already a voluntary ban in place which would just be made into law; while the other side argues that this law would put a limit on Canada’s development of its resources.

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Bill C-46 which received royal ascent earlier this year in June, will be going into force on December 18, 2018.

Once it becomes active, police officers will no longer require suspicious activity from drivers that have been pulled over to perform roadside alcohol breath test. If a driver is found to have gone over the alcohol limit, they will be brought to a police station to pass further test to determine their exact blood alcohol concentration. In addition to this, it will be illegal to drive under two hours of having been over the drinking limit.

This legislation came into place due to drunk drivers having learned to disguise the smell of their breath and lie to officers about having drunk alcohol.

Some members of the opposition have expressed worry about the process of testing not requiring any evidence. However, the Minister of Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould has assured that the law does not contradict the constitution.

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Bill S-203 which had passed senate approval on October 23rd and first reading at the House of Commons on October 29th, has now also gone through its second reading yesterday. The “Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act” aims to improve the well-being of these marine mammals by banning their capture in all cases except for legitimate research and rescue operations.

It was updated after going through the committee stage to preserve the rights of First Nations relative to cetaceans.

The leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May, is currently sponsoring the bill and has labelled it as “a non-partisan issue.” A lot of pressure was put on the government after a killer whale was seen carrying her dead calf for 17 days. This grieving was seen by many at proof that these feelings in animals are not being merely being anthropomorphized as many scientists had argued, but are legitimate.

Marineland and the Vancouver Aquarium would be the most affected from this law being put into action, as they are the only two Canadian institutions that hold cetaceans. However, they would be protected thanks to a grandfather clause that would give them time to change their business model.

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The recently elected Coalition Avenir Quebec government put their first bill on the table yesterday. Bill 1 will modify how the appointment and dismissal of three key officials: the anti-corruption commissioner, the Director General of the SQ and the director of criminal and penal prosecutions.

This new law will require these positions to be appointed by the National Assembly with the approval of at least two thirds of the members of the National Assembly. In addition to this, firing someone currently in place will require the same amount of votes. In the past, the ruling government could simply name the person they wanted after being elected. It will also require that candidates go through multiple stages of selection including: meeting a committee of experts and a camera interview with the members of the assembly.

The Liberal party argued that this will cause unnecessary interference in the nomination process. However, the CAQ justified their choice of modifying the bill by ensuring a more impartial selection method.

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Bill C-89 was accepted by the senate on Monday November 26th 2018 with a vote of 53 ayes, 25 nays and 4 abstentions. It was then given royal assent by Canada’s governor general. The final vote had been delayed due to the senators wanting to discuss the constitutionality of forcing postal workers to return to work. 

The president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers called the law a violation of “free collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” Taking this into account, Senator Murray Sinclair recommended a seven day delay on the order following the royal assent to allow for some further negotiation between the union and management. Senator Peter Harder countered by mentioning that delaying things any further would cause problems for the elderly, remotely located residents and retailers.

In the end, the Liberal party argued that unlike the bill imposed by the Conservative government in 2011, this one isn’t unconstitutional as it does not impose an immediate resolution to the conflict opposing the postal workers and their management.

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Bill C-21, which has recently passed the second reading stage in the senate seeks to create an “entry/exit” program that would record the rate at which Canadians enter and leave the country. In addition to this, it would allow border agents to share this information with their Americans colleagues. The Canada Border Services Agency would also be allowed to share this information with Employment and Social Development Canada to enforce acts like the Employment Insurance Act.

Ralph Goodale, the Public Safety Minister, says that these changes would not affect Canadians when crossing the border.

However, Daniel Therrier, the privacy commissioner of Canada pointed out that the vague writing of Bill C-21 could be interpreted in multiple ways relating to the duration this information would be kept by the government and recommended that the bill be made clearer in its intentions.

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Bill C-76 was adopted on October 30, 2018 by the House of Commons and aims to protect Canadian citizens against influence from foreign countries during elections.

However, after having been sent to the Senate, it has been criticized as being too weak and not doing enough to penalize international interference.

Karina Gould, the minister of Democratic Institutions, has countered this by saying the bill is only one tool amongst many that work to protect Canada against outside influence. In addition to this, she mentioned Canada’s relative lack of outside interference compared to the United States as a reason against the addition of more drastic measures.

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Bill C-86 seeks to change Canada’s labour code in some major ways. These would mainly affect the minimum standards required of employers towards their employees.

Ideas included in the bill were taken from consultations with multiple different sources including trade unions, employers, university professors and other experts in related fields. The changes will affect: work hours, breaks, equal treatment of all employees, annual vacations, general holidays, temporary help agencies, individual and group terminations, medical leave and family violence leave.

It has already gone through both first and second readings and has now been sent to the Standing Committee on Finance for further analysis.