The Conservative government has been acting fast in trying to approve Bill C-38. Last week, on Thursday May 3rd 2012, the government announced that it will limit second reading debate to only six more days and is expecting that the bill will pass quickly. The following illustrates the timing of events and the expected process as the bill passes through parliament:

Introduction and First Reading in the House of Commons – April 26, 2012   The proposed bill is introduced and read in the House of Commons.

Second Reading

· The bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) that reviews the text of the bill and approve or modify it before the House of Commons debates and votes on the bill as a whole

· Once approved by the House of Commons, the bill is passed onto the Third Reading (final stage of bill)

· Typically, debate on a single bill during Second Reading can take weeks. On May 3rd, the Conservative government limited the House of Commons debate on Bill C-38 to only 6 days.

· Bill C-38’s Second Reading Debate schedule: Friday May 4th, 2012 Monday May 7th, 2012 Tuesday May 8th, 2012 Wednesday May 9th, 2012 Friday May 11th, 2012 Monday May 14th, 2012 – Vote on the Bill to be passed onto the Third Reading Third Reading

· Final stage of the bill in the House of Commons, where Members must decide if the bill should be adopted

· Debate focuses on the final form of the bill with allowance of amendments, however once the it goes through the third reading, the bill is passed

· The Bill is then sent to the Senate for consideration, where it is eventually brought into force, assuming the Senate passes the bill

For more information on Bill C-38, click here

For more information on the legislative process, click here