(Download) "Reforming Royal Assent Procedures." by Canadian Parliamentary Review ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Reforming Royal Assent Procedures.
- Author : Canadian Parliamentary Review
- Release Date : January 22, 2002
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 239 KB
Description
When a Bill has been adopted by the House of Commons and the Senate it receives Royal Assent in a ceremony conducted in the Senate chamber. Dissatisfaction with the current process of granting Royal Assent has been smouldering for nearly twenty years. Attendance at the formal ceremony is sparse and the timing is often inconvenient for parliamentarians, the Governor General and Justices of the Supreme Court. Since 1983 a number of motions, reports and Bills have proposed changes. Senator John Lynch Staunton, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate introduced several bills which generated debate but all of them died on the order paper. His latest Bill, introduced at the start of the present Parliament, once again proposed to reform the Royal Assent ceremony. Following discussion with the Government an agreement was reached whereby Senator Lynch Staunton's Bill would be withdrawn and a Government Bill with a similar objective, S-34 the Royal Assent Act, was introduced in the Senate on October 2, 2001. It was supported by the Leader of the Government in the Senate and referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament. The following article is based on testimony in that committee on October 17, and November 7, 2001. For the full transcript of proceedings see http://www.parl.gc.ca/. Senator Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Government): On October 4, I advised the Senate that the Governor General had given her consent to our consideration of this bill. The Canadian government does not believe that Bill S-34 will have any repercussions on the royal prerogative or interest. The provisions of the bill are procedural in nature and will not change Royal Assent as such in any way.