Bill C-202 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (members who cross the floor)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This bill proposes to vacate the seat of a Member of Parliament if they change their party affiliation after being elected, unless they were elected under a party banner and choose to sit as an independent.
Bill C-202 proposes to change the Parliament of Canada Act. It states that if a Member of Parliament (MP) changes their political party affiliation after being elected, their seat in the House of Commons will be considered vacant. This would trigger a by-election to fill the seat. This rule applies if the MP was elected with the endorsement of one political party and later joins another, or if they were elected without party endorsement and then join a registered party. The leader of the new party must inform the Speaker of the House of Commons, who will then order a by-election. An exception is made: if an MP was elected as a member of a political party and chooses to sit as an independent, their seat will not be vacated. The bill does not specify what happens if an MP elected as an independent later joins a party, or if an MP elected with one party endorsement later joins a different party that also endorsed them. These situations might be covered by the existing wording.
- It amends the Parliament of Canada Act.
- It introduces a rule that a Member of Parliament's seat will be considered vacant if they change their political party affiliation after being elected.
- It requires that a by-election be called to fill a seat that is deemed vacant due to a change in party affiliation.
- It specifies that an MP's seat will not be vacated if they were elected as a member of a political party and choose to sit as an independent.
- Members of the House of Commons
- Political parties
- The Speaker of the House of Commons
- The Chief Electoral Officer
- The leader of a registered party has an obligation to notify the Speaker of the House of Commons in writing if a person becomes a member of that party and that person's seat is deemed vacated.
- The Speaker of the House of Commons has a duty to address a warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer for a by-election once notified of a vacated seat.
- The bill was given First Reading on November 21, 2008.
- The bill does not explicitly state what happens if a Member of Parliament was elected as an independent and subsequently joins a registered party.
- The bill does not explicitly state what happens if a Member of Parliament was endorsed by one registered party and subsequently joins a different registered party that also endorsed them.
- The bill does not define 'cross the floor' beyond the conditions described in section 27.1(1).
Adds a new section (27.1) that deems a Member of Parliament's seat vacated if they change their political party affiliation after being elected, which triggers a by-election, with an exception for MPs elected under a party who choose to sit as independents.
Source: Section 1
The definition of 'registered party' from this Act is used within the new section being added to the Parliament of Canada Act.
Source: Section 27.1(1)
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Bill C-202, concerning members crossing the floor, completed its first reading in the House of Commons on November 21, 2008, and is currently outside the Order of Precedence.
This artifact records the first reading of Bill C-202, an Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act regarding members who cross the floor. This procedural step occurred in the House of Commons on November 21, 2008, and has been completed. The bill is currently outside the Order of Precedence, meaning it has not yet been scheduled for debate or further progression. The artifact also notes similar bills introduced in previous Parliaments.
The House of Commons completed the first reading of Bill C-202, an act concerning members who cross the floor, alongside extensive debate on the Speech from the Throne.
On November 21, 2008, the House of Commons held its first reading of Bill C-202, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (members who cross the floor). This sitting included the introduction and printing of the bill, and debate on the Speech from the Throne. The bill itself was introduced by Peter Stoffer, who stated his personal opposition to members crossing the floor and suggested that such members should resign and seek re-election. The rest of the sitting primarily consisted of discussions and debates concerning the Speech from the Throne, with various Members of Parliament from different parties speaking on a range of issues including the economy, health care, seniors' benefits, and government spending.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced