Recent Library of Parliament Legislative Summaries

There are quite a few new Library of Parliament legislative summaries for some of the federal bills of the current session.

The summaries contain background and analysis of bills in front of the House of Commons and the Senate.

It is possible to follow the progress of all bills in Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.

Among the recent summaries are:

• Legislative Summary of Bill C‑75: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts: "This bill is intended to make the criminal justice system more modern and efficient and to reduce delays in criminal proceedings. The proposed amendments are in response to the Supreme Court of Canada rulings in R. v. Jordan and R. v. Cody, and to the final report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Delaying Justice is Denying Justice: An Urgent Need to Address Lengthy Court Delays in Canada."
• Legislative Summary of Bill C-71: An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms: "Bill C‑71 received second reading and was referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) on 28 March 2018. SECU reported the bill with amendments on 12 June 2018 and the House of Commons concurred in that report on 20 June 2018. The bill received third reading in that Chamber on 24 September 2018 and was introduced in the Senate on 25 September 2018. The bill was read a second time and referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence on 11 December 2018. SECU amended the bill to, among other things, clarify for greater certainty that nothing in the Act shall be construed so as to permit or require the registration of non‑restricted firearms (new section 2(4) of the Firearms Act); prescribe new factors to be considered by the judge or the chief firearms officer (CFO) when determining an applicant’s eligibility to hold a firearms licence (amended section 5(2)(c) and new sections 5(2)(d) to 5(2)(f) of the Firearms Act); and specify that the terms “threatened violence” and “threatening conduct” include threats or conduct communicated to a person by means of the Internet or other digital network when determining an applicant’s eligibility to hold a firearms licence (new section 5(2.1) of the Firearms Act)."
• Legislative Summary of Bill C-81: An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada: "As indicated by its short title, the bill enacts the Accessible Canada Act, with the stated objective of enhancing the 'full and equal' participation of all Canadians (especially persons with disabilities) in society, through the identification, removal and prevention of barriers in areas under federal jurisdiction."
• Legislative Summary of Bill C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act: "First, the bill amends the Criminal Code (Code) to modify or repeal provisions that have been ruled unconstitutional by the courts or that raise risks of being contrary to the provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter). It also amends or repeals Code provisions that could be considered obsolete and/or redundant. Second, Bill C‑51 amends provisions in the Code relating to sexual offences. In particular, it sets out a procedure for determining the admissibility and use of the complainant’s records when they are in the possession of the accused. Finally, Bill C‑51 amends the Department of Justice Act to require that the Minister of Justice table a statement of a bill’s potential effects on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter for every government bill introduced in either House of Parliament."
• Legislative Summary of Bill C-84: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bestiality and animal fighting):"Bill C‑84 amends the Criminal Code to define 'bestiality.' Although section 160 of the Criminal Code criminalizes bestiality, it does not include any definition of the term. The Supreme Court of Canada considered which acts are prohibited by this offence in its R. v. D.L.W. decision in 2016. The Court determined that the term 'bestiality' has a 'well‑established legal meaning and refers to sexual intercourse between a human and an animal' and stated that sexual penetration 'has always been understood to be an essential element' of the term. The court noted that it was not its role to expand upon this accepted meaning, but rather that it would be up to Parliament to 'broaden the scope of liability' for the offence by introducing an express provision in the Criminal Code."
• Legislative Summary of Bill C-87: An Act respecting the reduction of poverty: "The bill enacts the Poverty Reduction Act (the Act), which provides targets for poverty reduction to be achieved by 2020 and by 2030, sets out Canada’s Official Poverty Line and other metrics to measure poverty, and establishes the National Advisory Council on Poverty."