of every Parliament was in place to designate the Bill (or motion) to be debated during the private members’ hour on any given day. Private members’ business had traditionally been less partisan in the Canadian Parliament, where political parties did not impose party lines on votes for private members’ initiatives. This began to change with a series of minority Parliaments where private members’ bills
CANADA/UNITED KINGDOM
were oftentimes used as another tool by the opposition parties to destabilize government. It now appears that practice towards private members’ bills is again evolving. The government is now
openly supporting private members’ bills introduced by members of the Conservative caucus. Some commentators have criticized this approach towards lawmaking. Private
members’ bills are the object of less scrutiny before and after their introduction before Parliament. At the preliminary stages, they are not scrutinized by Department of Justice officials, and no costs-benefit analysis is conducted. Before the House of Commons, debates on Privates members’ bills are limited to a maximum of four hours (two hours at second reading, and two hours at the combined report and
third reading stages). Private members’ bills that received government support includes, for example, Bill C-309, the Concealment of Identity Act, which would make the concealment of one’s identity during a riot an offence under the Criminal Code. Bill C-394, that would prohibit recruiting or encouraging a person to join a criminal organization, also received the support of the government.
JUBILEE WINDOW COMMEMORATES QUEEN ELIZABETH II’S 60-YEAR REIGN
On 20 March 2012 both Houses of Parliament met together in Westminster Hall to present to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, humble addresses
mounted in Westminster Hall and paid for by subscriptions from MPs and Peers. Presenting the address from
the House of Lords, the Lord Speaker, Baroness D’Souza, spoke of Her Majesty having “personified continuity and stability while ensuring that your role has evolved imperceptibly, with the result that the monarchy is as integral a part of our national life today as it was 60 years ago”. The Lord Speaker focused
Baroness D’Souza
commemorating her 60 years on the throne. They also unveiled a stained glass window, emblazoned with the Royal Coat of Arms, which was
on Her Majesty’s work as Head of the Commonwealth, saying “for we must remember that your Jubilee will be celebrated with joy in your other realms and territories, and throughout the rest of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth as we know it today is of course one of the great achievements of your reign and under your