39th Canadian Parliament
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The 39th Canadian Parliament is the current Parliament of Canada, and has been in session since April 3, 2006. The membership was set by the 2006 federal election on January 23, 2006, and it has changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections. The longest it could run, barring war or national emergency, is five years (to February 13, 2011). Historically, however, minority governments in Canada such as the current one have rarely lasted more than two years.
It is controlled by a Conservative Party minority, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the 28th Canadian Ministry, which assumed power on February 6, 2006. The Official Opposition is the Liberal Party, led first by interim leader Bill Graham, and currently by Stéphane Dion.
The Speaker is Liberal Peter Milliken. Milliken was re-elected as the Speaker of the House for the 39th Parliament on April 3, 2006. The Speaker only votes in a tie, and, as Milliken is a Liberal, the Liberal caucus is effectively reduced by one. This, along with the defection of Wajid Khan to the Conservatives enables the Conservatives to pass legislation with the cooperation of any one of the three opposition parties: Liberals, Bloc, or New Democratic Party (NDP).
There has been only one session of the 39th Parliament:
| Session | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | April 3, 2006 | ongoing |
The party standings as elected and as of March 21, 2007 are on the table below. Since the election, three members of the House of Commons crossed the floor (one of whom had previously been forced to sit as an independent), one died, three resigned, and two members have been elected in by-elections to fill vacancies (two vacancies remain to be filled). In that same period, two senators have died, six have resigned (four of whom had reached the mandatory retirement age), and one has been appointed to fill a vacancy (twelve vacancies remain). For step-by-step changes in Parliament membership, see changes since election. See List of Canadian federal electoral districts for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
|
| Affiliation | House Members | Senate Members | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Mar 21, 2007 | Election | Mar 21, 2007 | ||
| Conservative Party of Canada | 124 | 125 | 23 | 23 | |
| Liberal Party of Canada | 103 | 100 | 67 | 62 | |
| Bloc Québécois | 51 | 50 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Democratic Party | 29 | 29 | 1* | 0 | |
| Independent | 1 | 2** | 5 | 4 | |
| Progressive Conservative | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |
| Independent NDP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total members | 308 | 306 | 100 | 93 | |
| vacant | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | |
| Total seats | 308 | 105 | |||
*Lillian Dyck was officially designated as affiliated with the New Democratic Party, despite the fact that the party would not accept her affiliation (due to the party's position on the Senate). Her official affiliation did not change until October 31, 2006.
**André Arthur and Joe Comuzzi.
[edit] Major events
[edit] Floor-crossing
Three members of parliament have crossed the floor since the election:
On February 6, 2006 David Emerson, elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway, crossed the floor to join Stephen Harper's cabinet as Minister of International Trade.
On January 5, 2007 Wajid Khan, elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Streetsville, crossed the floor to join the Harper government.
On February 6, 2007 Garth Turner, elected as a Conservative MP for Halton, moved to the Liberal caucus. He had been sitting as an Independent since being suspended from the Tory caucus on October 18, 2006.
[edit] Liberal leadership
During the election campaign, the Liberal leader was then Prime Minister Paul Martin. After the election results were announced, Liberal leader Paul Martin announced his intention to resign, but did not indicate when, other than saying he would not lead the party into the next election. On February 1, the Liberal Party Caucus chose Bill Graham as parliamentary leader, meaning he served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons until the election of Stéphane Dion as Liberal leader at the next Liberal Party leadership convention, held December 2 through December 3.
Some political observers had questioned whether Martin would have led the Liberals into an election had the Harper minority fallen in the first few months of the 39th Parliament.[1]. In 1979, Pierre Trudeau's Liberals lost to Joe Clark's Progressive Conservatives who only won a minority on May 22 of that year. The Clark minority was defeated less than seven months after on a confidence vote over the budget, which was much earlier than most observers had expected the government to fall. Trudeau had announced his resignation as leader of the Liberals on November 21, 1979; however in light of the collapse of the government on December 13, 1979, and the Liberal Party's not having chosen a replacement as leader, Trudeau was persuaded to change his mind, and he led the party into the 1980 election winning a majority government. Unlike Martin, Trudeau did not appoint an interim leader or withdraw from the day-to-day leadership of the party after announcing he would resign.
On March 18, 2006 Martin officially tendered his resignation as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. This move was widely seen as a move by Martin to stop any talk of him leading the party into the next election.
[edit] Five priorities
Prime Minister Harper has said he will move forward with his top five priorities from the campaign. At least four of these will require legislative action: the passage of a Federal Accountability Act in response to the sponsorship scandal; combating crime by creating more police officers and setting longer mandatory sentences; lowering the Goods & Services Tax to 6% (and eventually to 5%); giving $1,200 for parents per child under the age of 6. On December 6, 2006, another issue many expected to arise in the first session of parliament did, in fact, come to the fore, when the government introduced a motion calling "on the government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages." [2] The next day, the House defeated the motion by a vote of 175 to 123, with six cabinet ministers voting against it, and Harper declared the issue settled.[3] (See Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage for more information.)
[edit] Jean Lapierre's resignation
Just a week after Wajid Khan's defection to the Conservative Party of Canada, Outremont's Liberal MP Jean Lapierre declared on January 11, 2007 that he would resign from the Liberal Party at the end of the month to pursue a career in television. This took place on January 28, leaving the Outremont district vacant, and further weakening the Liberal Party by reducing their number of seats to 100. However, rumours have arisen that Justin Trudeau will run in this riding to fill the vacant seat. The Liberal seat count has since risen to 101, with independent MP Garth Turner (former Conservative MP) of the Halton district joining the Liberal Party on February 6, 2007.
On 21 February 2007, Yvan Loubier (representing Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot for the Bloc Québécois) resigned in order to run in the Quebec general election, 2007.
[edit] Major bills and motions
Important business of the 39th Parliament includes the following bills and motions. Note that not all of these bills have yet become law. Motions (excepting those which pass bills) have no effect in law. A complete lists of bills of the 1st session of the 39th Parliament is on the Parliament's website. The bills are divided into government bills, private member's bills, and private bills for both the House and the Senate.
[edit] Acts passed by 39th Parliament
[edit] Federal Accountability Act
Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act (officially "An Act providing for conflict of interest rules, restrictions on election financing and measures respecting administrative transparency, oversight and accountability"), received royal assent in the Senate on December 12, 2006, and is now becoming law. The act plans to reduce the opportunity to exert influence with money by banning corporate, union, and large personal political donations; create a five-year lobbying ban on former ministers, their aides, and senior public servants; provide protection for whistleblowers; and enhancing the power for the Auditor General to follow the money spent by the government.
[edit] 2006 Canadian federal budget
Bill C-13 is The 2006 Canadian federal budget, which received royal assent in the Senate on June 22, 2006.
[edit] Extending the Afghan War until 2009
A successful motion in the House to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan by two years, until early 2009. The motion was supported by the Conservatives and 30 Liberal MPs, allowing it to narrowly pass 149-145 on May 17, 2006.[1]
[edit] Softwood lumber deal
Bill C-24, the "Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006" put into effect the deal made between the Canadian and American governments regarding the longstanding softwood lumber debates. The Act received royal assent December 14, 2006.
[edit] Quebecois nationhood
A successful motion in the House to recognise the Quebecois as a nation within Canada. The motion was put forth by the Prime Minister in reaction to an announced motion by Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe that would recognise Quebec as a nation, but did not contain the words “in Canada” .[2] The motion easily passed 266 to 16, with all party leaders voting in favour, including Duceppe[3]
[edit] Reaffirming the Kyoto Protocol
A motion passed by the opposition parties (161 for to 115 against) on February 5, 2007 to reaffirm Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.[4] The motion may not have any legal effect, but it is related to Bill C-288, which is on its second reading in the House and would require the government to work towards meeting its Kyoto targets.
[edit] Failed acts
[edit] Re-opening the same-sex marriage debate
A failed government motion to reopen the same-sex marriage debate. The 38th Canadian Parliament, led by the Liberals, had legalised same-sex marriage a year earlier, and many provinces before that. Harper’s motion to reopen the issue was a promise he made while campaigning, but doing so would likely have been unconstitutional. The motion failed 175-123, so the issue is closed, again, leaving same-sex marriage legal in Canada.[5]
[edit] Extending anti-terror laws
A failed government motion (159 opposed to 124 in favour) to renew certain sunsetted provisions of the Anti-terrorism Act, first passed by the Liberals after 9/11 that suspended some civil liberties in order to combat terrorism.[6]
[edit] Acts not yet passed
[edit] Minimum penalties for offences involving firearms
Bill C-9, titled "An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conditional sentence of imprisonment)", is a bill to set minimum penalties for offences involving firearms. Under this act, persons convicted of a serious personal injury offence or a terrorism offence with a term of imprisonment of ten years or more would not be eligible for a conditional sentence. Bill C-9 passed in the House on November 3, 2006 and is now in the committee stage in the Senate.
[edit] Eight-year Senate terms
Bill S-4, titled An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Senate tenure) is a Senate bill to limit new Senators' tenure to eight-year terms. Currently, senators can stay in office until they reach the age of 75. The bill was was first introduced by the government in the Senate on May 30, 2006. After several months of debates, and consideration of the subject-matter by a special committee, the bill was read a second time on February 20, 2007. At the same time, it was referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs for consideration. It has been suggested that the Liberal Senate will modify the bill to extend the terms to twelve years so that a prime minister would not control the entire Senate after two parliaments.
[edit] Fixed election dates
Bill C-16, titled "An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act", is a bill to set fixed election dates. If passed, elections will be held on the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election. The next general election under this act would be held on October 19, 2009. Parliament could still be dissolved by a motion of non-confidence. The provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador have already implemented fixed election dates for their own provincial elections. Bill C-16 passed in the House on November 6, 2006 and the Senate on March 28, 2007. It is now awaiting House approval of the amendments made in the Senate.
[edit] Age of consent
Bill C-22, titled "An Act to amend the Criminal Code (age of protection) and to make consequential amendments to the Criminal Records Act", is a bill to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16. The bill has been in committee following the second reading on October 30, 2006.
[edit] Senate Appointment Consultations Act
Bill C-43, titled "An Act to provide for consultations with electors on their preferences for appointments to the Senate", is a bill to hold referendums on Senate appointments, introduced December 13, 2006.[7] The bill is opposed by Liberals and has stalled after the first reading.
[edit] Members
- See also: Women in the 39th Canadian Parliament
[edit] Legend
- Bold text denotes cabinet ministers (two cabinet members, Senator Michael Fortier and Senator Marjory LeBreton are not members of the House of Commons)
- Italic text denotes leaders
| Conservative | |
| Liberal | |
| Bloc Québécois | |
| New Democrat | |
| Independent |
[edit] Newfoundland and Labrador
[edit] Nova Scotia
[edit] Prince Edward Island
| Name | Party | Electoral district | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence MacAulay | Liberal | Cardigan | |
| Shawn Murphy | Liberal | Charlottetown | |
| Joe McGuire | Liberal | Egmont | |
| Wayne Easter | Liberal | Malpeque |
[edit] New Brunswick
[edit] Quebec
- ↑a Member since swearing-in date of by-election.
- ↑b Leader since December 2, 2006.
[edit] Ontario
- ↑c Elected as a Conservative.
- ↑d Member since December 7, 2006 (elected in November 27 by-election).
- ↑e Elected as a Liberal.
- ↑f Elected as a Liberal.
- ↑g Party leader until December 2, 2006.
- ↑h Cabinet minister until November 27, 2006.
- ↑i Cabinet minister since November 27, 2006.
[edit] Manitoba
[edit] Saskatchewan
[edit] Alberta
[edit] British Columbia
[edit] The North
| Name | Party | Electoral district | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Karetak-Lindell | Liberal | Nunavut | |
| Dennis Bevington | New Democrat | Western Arctic | |
| Larry Bagnell | Liberal | Yukon |
[edit] Changes since election
[edit] House of Commons
The party standings have changed as follows:
| Number of members per party by date |
2006 | 2007 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23 | Feb 6 | Aug 28 | Sep 20 | Oct 18 | Dec 7 | Jan 5 | Jan 28 | Feb 6 | Feb 21 | Mar 21 | ||
| Conservative Party of Canada | 124 | 125 | 124 | 125 | ||||||||
| Liberal Party of Canada | 103 | 102 | 101 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 101 | 100 | ||||
| Bloc Québécois | 51 | 50 | 51 | 50 | ||||||||
| New Democratic Party | 29 | |||||||||||
| Independent | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| vacant | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
[edit] Changes in party affiliation
| Name | Party (current) | Party (when elected) | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Emerson | Conservative | Liberal | Crossed the floor from the Liberal Party on February 6, 2006 to be sworn in as Conservative Minister of International Trade.[4] | |
| Garth Turner | Liberal | Conservative | Removed from the Conservative caucus on October 18, 2006 due to breaking caucus confidentiality.[5] Sat as an independent until he joined the Liberal caucus on February 6, 2007.[6] | |
| Wajid Khan | Conservative | Liberal | Crossed the floor from the Liberal Party on January 5, 2007. | |
| Joe Comuzzi | Independent | Liberal | Removed from the Liberal caucus on March 21, 2007 due to his announced intention to vote with the Conservatives on a confidence motion (the 2007 budget).[7] |
[edit] Changes in membership
| Name | Party | Electoral district | Cause of departure | Succeeded by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benoît Sauvageau | Bloc Québécois | Repentigny | Died August 28, 2006 | Raymond Gravel (Bloc Québécois) | |
| Joe Fontana | Liberal | London North Centre | Resigned September 20, 2006 to run for Mayor of London | Glen Pearson (Liberal) | |
| Jean Lapierre | Liberal | Outremont | Resigned January 28, 2007 to pursue television career | successor not yet elected | |
| Yvan Loubier | Bloc Québécois | Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot | Resigned February 21, 2007 to run in Quebec general election, 2007 | successor not yet elected |
[edit] Senate
The party standings have changed as follows since the election preceding the 39th Parliament:
| Number of members per party by date |
2006 | 2007 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23 | Feb 1 | Feb 27 | Mar 29 | Apr 22 | Apr 28 | Jun 8 | Sep 21 | Oct 31 | Dec 31 | Mar 2 | ||
| Liberal Party of Canada | 67 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 62 | ||||||
| Conservative Party of Canada | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | |||||||
| Independent | 5 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Progressive Conservative | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||
| New Democratic Party | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Independent NDP | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| vacant | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
[edit] New Senators
| Name | Party | Representing | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Fortier1 | Conservative | Quebec (Rougemont) | Appointed February 27, 2006 on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. |
1 Appointed after the election but prior to the official start of the 39th Parliament.
[edit] Left Senate
| Name | Party | Representing | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley Maheu1 | Liberal | Quebec (Rougemont) | Died February 1, 2006. | |
| John Buchanan | Conservative | Nova Scotia (Halifax) | Reached mandatory retirement age of 75 on April 22, 2006. | |
| Marisa Ferretti Barth | Liberal | Quebec (Repentigny) | Reached mandatory retirement age of 75 on April 28, 2006. | |
| Michael Forrestall | Conservative | Nova Scotia (Dartmouth/Eastern Shore) | Died June 8, 2006. | |
| Madeleine Plamondon | Independent | Quebec (The Laurentides) | Reached mandatory retirement age of 75 on September 21, 2006. | |
| Michael J. L. Kirby | Liberal | Nova Scotia (South Shore) | Resigned October 31, 2006 to move on to new challenges. | |
| Ione Jean Christensen | Liberal | Yukon | Resigned December 31, 2006 to assist her ailing husband. | |
| Jack Austin | Liberal | British Columbia (Vancouver South) | Reached mandatory retirement age of 75 on March 2, 2007. |
1 Died after the election but prior to the official start of the 39th Parliament.
[edit] Changes in party affiliation
| Name | Party (current) | Party (previously) | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Ruth1 | Conservative | Progressive Conservative | Originally appointed after the two parties merged, she listed her affiliation as Progressive Conservative until March 29, 2006. | |
| Lillian Dyck | Independent NDP | New Democrat | The NDP never recognised Dyck and her official affiliation was changed October 31, 2006. |
1 Changed after the election but prior to the official start of the 39th Parliament.
[edit] Officeholders
[edit] Speakers
- Peter Milliken (the Liberal Member for Kingston and the Islands) was re-elected Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons on April 3, 2006. He defeated Diane Marleau (the Liberal Member for Sudbury) and Marcel Proulx (the Liberal Member for Hull—Aylmer) on the first ballot, becoming only the third Speaker from an opposition party in history.
- Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole—Bill Blaikie (the New Democratic Party Member for Elmwood—Transcona),
- Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole—Royal Galipeau (the Conservative Member for Ottawa—Orléans),
- Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole—Andrew Scheer (the Conservative Member for Regina—Qu'Appelle)
[edit] ===Leader=
- Sharona Clair - MP * ==
[edit] Front Bench
- Government: see Canadian Cabinet
Opposition:
- Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Liberal Party of Canada)
- Bloc Québécois Shadow Cabinet
- New Democratic Party Shadow Cabinet
[edit] House Leaders
- Government House Leader: Hon. Peter Van Loan
- Opposition: Hon. Ralph Goodale
- BQ: Michel Gauthier
- NDP: Libby Davies
[edit] Whips
- Chief Government Whip: Hon. Jay Hill
- Deputy Government Whip: Guy Lauzon
- Official Opposition Whip: Hon. Karen Redman
- BQ Whip: Michel Guimond
- NDP Whip: Yvon Godin
[edit] References
- Government of Canada. 39th Parliament. Members of the House of Commons: 1867 to Date: By Parliament. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-11-30.
- Government of Canada. The Canadian Ministry in order of precedence (Current). Canadian Ministry (Cabinet). Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- Government of Canada. The Canadian Ministry in order of precedence (September 2001 to date). Canadian Ministry (Cabinet). Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- Government of Canada. Duration of Sessions. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Government of Canada. General Elections. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Government of Canada. House of Commons Government Bills. LEGISinfo. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- Government of Canada. Key Dates for each Parliament. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Government of Canada. Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Commons. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Government of Canada. Prime Ministers of Canada. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Government of Canada. Senate Government Bills. LEGISinfo. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- Government of Canada. Senate Standings and Average Age of Senators: 1975 to Date. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
- Government of Canada. Speakers. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- ^ CBC News. "Canada's stay in Afghanistan extended by 2 years", CBC.ca, May 17, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
- ^ Sheppard, Robert. "Quebec nationalism, a long history", In Depth: The 39th Parliament, CBC.ca, November 23, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
- ^ CBC News. "How each MP voted on Québécois nationhood", In Depth: The 39th Parliament, CBC.ca, November 28, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
- ^ CBC News. "House motion passes supporting Kyoto", cbc.ca, 2007-02-05. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
- ^ Canadian Press. "MPs vote against revisiting gay marriage issue", CBC.ca, December 7, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
- ^ CBC News. "MPs vote against extending anti-terrorism measures", CBC.ca, 2007-02-28. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
- ^ CTV.ca News Staff. "PM to bring 'democracy' to choice of senators", CTV.ca, December 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
[edit] Succession
| Preceded by 38th Canadian Parliament |
Canadian Parliaments 2006– |
Succeeded by In Session |
| Federal elections (Summary List) 1867 | 1872 | 1874 | 1878 | 1882 | 1887 | 1891 | 1896 | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1911 | 1917 | 1921 | 1925 1926 | 1930 | 1935 | 1940 | 1945 | 1949 | 1953 | 1957 | 1958 | 1962 | 1963 | 1965 | 1968 | 1972 | 1974 1979 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1993 | 1997 | 2000 | 2004 | 2006 | next Summaries: 1867-1879 · 1880-1899 · 1900-1919 · 1920-1939 · 1940-1959 |
| Federal parliaments (Summary List) 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th 31st | 32nd | 33rd | 34th | 35th | 36th | 37th | 38th | 39th |
| Federal political parties | Federal electoral districts |
