New Library of Parliament Legislative Summaries

The Library of Parliament recently published two (2) legislative summaries relating to bills in front of the House of Commons:

• Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act: "Bill C-3, An Act to promote gender equity in Indian registration by responding to the Court of Appeal for British Columbia decision in McIvor v. Canada (Registrar of Indian and Northern Affairs) (short title: Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act), was introduced in the House of Commons by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, the Honourable Chuck Strahl, on 11 March 2010. The bill modifies the Indian Act in order to comply with the British Columbia Court of Appeal's 2009 McIvor decision, which found aspects of the current registration provisions in violation of section 15 of the on the basis of sex. The Indian Act has been and remains the principal expression of Parliament's jurisdiction over 'Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians' under subsection 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867. From its inception, the Act has set out criteria defining Indian 'status' for purposes of determining entitlement to a range of legislated rights as well as eligibility for federal programs and services. Status provisions have been an enduring source of grievance for First Nations people, who claim an inherent right to determine their own citizenship.This section outlines the evolution of and developments related to those aspects of Indian status that are directly relevant to the specific amendments proposed by Bill C-3 over three periods: from pre-Confederation through 1982; from 1982 through 2007; and from the 2007 McIvordecision to the present."
• An Act to amend the International Transfer of Offenders Act: "Bill C-5, An Act to amend the International Transfer of Offenders Act (short title: Keeping Canadians Safe [International Transfer of Offenders] Act), was introduced in the House of Commons on 18 March 2010 by the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Vic Toews. It is almost identical to Bill C-59, which received first reading during the 2^nd Session of the 40^th Parliament but died on the Order Paper when Parliament was prorogued on 30 December 2009. Bill C-5 amends the purpose of the International Transfer of Offenders Act, as well as the factors for the Minister's consideration in deciding whether to consent to an offender's transfer."

Tracking federal bills is easy with LEGISinfo, an electronic research toll created by the Library of Parliament. LEGISinfo provides information about individual federal bills, including the text at various readings, government press releases and backgrounders, speeches in Parliament, legislative summaries, votes and coming into force information.