OTTAWA – Politicians have returned to Parliament Hill to start the fall session – a session that will be shaped by the first majority government in seven years.
The Conservatives have pledged to keep the economy front and centre while also pushing through bills that have been sitting on the backburner for years without enough parliamentary support to become law.
Here’s a look at the issues and the legislation that will shape this session of Parliament and the lives of Canadians for years to come:
The Budget Implementation Act
What it is: This is a technical bill that allows the government to fulfill its budget promises.
Why it matters: This bland-sounding piece of legislation allows the Conservatives to hand out all the tax credits, start the programs and fulfill the promises they made in the last federal budget. Once this legislation is passed, Canadians will see the children’s arts tax credit, money for infrastructure projects, tax credits for caregivers, among other initiatives.
Key players: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, NDP finance critic Peggy Nash.
Omnibus crime bill
What it is: A dozen or so bills will likely be wrapped up into one on Tuesday when the Conservatives are expected to try once again to pass their more controversial crime bills.
Why it matters: Opposition parties have been blocking many of the Conservatives so-called tough-on-crime bills for years saying they are a costly step backwards in a society where crime rates are dropping. Conservatives say low crime rates aren’t low enough and that Canadians have asked them to move forward with these new lawas. This time around, the Conservatives will have enough votes to push through the bills no matter what the opposition says.
The exact details of the laws won’t be revealed until they are tabled in the House of Commons, but the Conservatives promised the following during the last election:
• Tackle drugs in prisons
• Introduce a national action plan to combat human trafficking
• Amend the criminal code to include age as an aggravating factor when sentencing elder abuse cases.
• End sentence discounts for people convicted with child pornography and child sex offences
• Ending house arrest for people convicted of violent crimes and sexual assault.
• Mandate mandatory jail time for sex assault against children
• Crackdown on young offenders
• Bring in stronger anti-terrorism laws including one that would allow people two sue terrorists.
Human smuggling
What it is: The government has already reintroduced is contentious bill to crackdown on human smuggling. The bill, which is currently being debated, will create mandatory minimum sentences for human smugglers and will allow groups of refugees who arrive in an “irregular” fashion to be detained while they are investigated.
Why it matters: The Conservatives say the new law will help stop those who are abusing Canada’s immigration system. Opponents of the bill say that it punishes the victims of human smuggling instead of the perpetrators.
Key players: Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney, Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews, NDP immigration critic Don Davies, The Canadian Council for Refugees.
Scrapping the long-gun registry
What it is: The Tories will kill Canada’s long-gun registry – a policy that has contentious for years. The registry helps keep track of where firearms are in Canada.
Why it matters: Conservatives say the controversial registry is a waste of money and criminalizes the activities of hunters and farmers. Opposition parties and law enforcement bodies have supported the registry as an effective and helpful means of gun control.
A private-members bill introduced by Conservative Candice Hoeppner was quashed in 2010 by a slim margin of 153-151, despite gaining support from six rural NDP MPs. In July, Hoeppner said that the government was busy drafting new legislation. The legislation will likely divide the NDP caucus again, especially now that Quebecers dominate it. Support of gun control is extremely high in Quebec, a province that has been devastated by two high-profile school shootings – Dawson College and Ecole Polytechnique.
Key players: Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews, Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, NDP public safety critic Jasbir Sandhu, the NDP Quebec caucus, NDP rural MPs and Canadian law enforcement bodies.
Redistributing seats in the House of Commons
What it is: The Conservatives will introduce a bill to add the number of MPs from British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta.
Why it matters: Right now the more populous provinces are underrepresented in the House of Commons, with more citiznes per MP than other provinces. The Conservatives say this flies in the face of representation by population. The move will likely be welcomed in more populous parts of the country, but not in provinces with shrinking or slow-growing provinces. The move will likely be welcomed in more populous parts of the country, but not in provinces with shrinking or slow-growing provinces. NDP house leader Tom Mulcair, who represents Outremont in Montreal, has raised concerns about how this will affect Quebec’s voice in the House of Commons.
Key players: The NDP’s Quebec caucus, Minister of State for Democratic Reform Tim Uppal, NDP critic Dave Christopherson.
Scrapping the long-gun registry
Reforming the Senate
What it is: The government has introduced a bill that would limit senate appointments to nine years and would allow provinces to voluntarily hold elections for senators. Currently, senators are appointed on the advice of the prime minister and there is no term limit on in the upper chamber. However, senators must retire by age 75.
Why it matters: The changes would dramatically alter Canada’s political landscape.
Key players: Minister of Democratic Reform Tim Uppal, NDP democratic reform critic Dave Christopherson, Liberal democratic reform critic Stephane Dion along with the provinces.
Free trade agreements
What it is: The government is in hot pursuit of trade deals with the European Union and India. Negotiations in Europe are expected to wrap up by the end of the year.
Why it matters: Free trade agreements are a central part of the Conservative plan to create jobs and keep the economy afloat. Any new agreements will likely make waves in the House of Commons as opposition parties raise questions about whether the deal will create or kill Canadian jobs and how it will impact Canada’s control over resources.
The Council of Canadians, one of the most vocal critics of the Canada-Europe deal, warns that the deal will open Canadian municipalities and utilities such as water to European corporations.
Key players: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Minister of International Trade Ed Fast, Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, NDP trade critic Robert Chisholm, NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar, Canadian municipalities, along with business and nonprofit interests such as The Council of Canadians, The Canadian Labour Congress and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
Canadian Wheat Board
What it is: The Canadian Wheat Board is a body that currently holds the monopoly on marketing the wheat and barley grown in Canada. Western Canadian farmers will be watching carefully as the Conservatives move legislation to end the monopoly the Canadian Wheat Board currently enjoys on marketing grain in Canada.
Why it matters: Supporters say that marketing Canadian wheat as a whole gives it clout in international markets, but opponents say farmers should have choice on how they sell their crops.
Key players: Minister of Agriculuture Gerry Ritz, NDP critic for Agriculture Malcolm Allen, The Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
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