Bill S-222 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd 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
Bill S-222 proposes to prohibit the bulk removal of boundary waters, with limited exceptions, and introduces a parliamentary review process for related regulations.
This bill, called "An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal)", proposes to prohibit the large-scale removal of water from bodies of water that form part of the Canada-US border. It defines what constitutes "bulk water removal" and outlines specific exceptions, such as for transportation, firefighting, or humanitarian purposes. The bill also introduces a new process for creating regulations related to this act, requiring proposed regulations to be presented to Parliament for review and potential disapproval.
- Prohibits the removal, in bulk, of boundary waters from their water basins.
- Defines 'bulk water removal' as taking more than 50,000 litres of water outside a water basin per day, excluding manufactured products containing water.
- Establishes specific exceptions to the prohibition, including for use on conveyances (like ships or trains), for firefighting, and for humanitarian purposes.
- States that the cumulative effect of bulk water removal is deemed to affect the natural level or flow of boundary waters.
- Repeals existing provisions related to water basin descriptions and exceptions for bulk water removal.
- Replaces existing regulation-making authority with new provisions that require proposed regulations to be tabled in both Houses of Parliament.
- Allows either House of Parliament to disapprove of proposed regulations within 30 sitting days, preventing them from being made.
- Individuals and entities involved in the removal of boundary waters.
- The Governor in Council (federal cabinet).
- The Minister responsible for the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act.
- The Senate and House of Commons (Parliament).
- Prohibition against the bulk removal of boundary waters, with defined exceptions.
- Requirement for proposed regulations to be tabled in Parliament.
- Right of Parliament to review and potentially disapprove of proposed regulations.
- The bill was first read in the Senate on February 4, 2009.
- The bill does not specify penalties for contravening the prohibition on bulk water removal.
- The bill does not specify penalties for contravening the prohibition on bulk water removal.
- The bill states that it does not provide regulation-making authority to specify *other* exceptions to the prohibition beyond those explicitly listed.
The bill amends this Act to add a definition for 'removal of boundary waters in bulk' and to prohibit such removal, with specific exceptions. It also changes how regulations related to the Act are made and reviewed.
Source: Section 1, Section 2, Section 3
Adds a definition for the term 'removal of boundary waters in bulk' to this section of the Act.
Source: Section 1
Replaces the existing section to explicitly prohibit the bulk removal of boundary waters and specifies limited exceptions.
Source: Section 2
Removes specific provisions related to the Governor in Council's authority to make regulations describing water basins and specifying exceptions to bulk water removal.
Source: Section 3(1)
Replaces the existing subsection to detail the Governor in Council's authority to make regulations, subject to parliamentary review, for specifying uses, defining terms, and specifying exceptions to certain provisions of the Act.
Source: Section 3(2)
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
Bill S-222, concerning bulk water removal, completed its first reading in the Senate on February 4, 2009, and was later referred to committee.
This artifact describes the procedural steps for Bill S-222 in the Senate. The bill was given first reading on February 4, 2009. It later moved to second reading, and the subject matter of the bill was referred to a committee on June 17, 2009. The bill's current status is at consideration in committee in the Senate. The artifact also notes similar bills, S-217 and S-225, which dealt with the same subject matter in a previous Parliament.
During a Senate sitting on February 4, 2009, Bill S-222 concerning bulk water removal was introduced and received first reading, alongside other legislative business and debates.
On February 4, 2009, the Senate of Canada convened for a sitting that included routine proceedings, question period, and orders of the day. During routine proceedings, Bill S-222, an Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act concerning bulk water removal, was introduced and received its first reading. The sitting also featured various statements by senators on topics such as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Chickasaw Nation, World Cancer Day, Canada-United States trade, and other matters. The majority of the sitting was dedicated to debates on the budget, the Speech from the Throne, and the second reading of several other bills, including Bill S-203 (Business Development Bank of Canada Act amendment), Bill S-210 (World Autism Awareness Day), and Bill S-216 (Federal Sustainable Development Act and Auditor General Act amendment). A point of order was raised concerning Bill S-203 regarding appropriation of funds. Multiple debates were adjourned, and committee reports were adopted.
The Senate referred the subject matter of Bill S-222 to a committee for study on June 17, 2009, after its second reading speeches.
On June 17, 2009, the Senate adopted the referral of the subject matter of Bill S-222 to a committee. This means the Senate agreed to send the parts of the bill being discussed to a committee for further study. This happened after the bill had its first reading on February 4, 2009, and its second reading speeches occurred on various dates in April, May, and June 2009. The bill is currently at the stage where it is being considered by a committee.
In a Senate sitting on April 1, 2009, Bill S-222 concerning bulk water removal was moved for second reading, and debate was adjourned.
On April 1, 2009, the Senate met. The sitting included greetings, tabling of reports, and various discussions on different bills. Notably, Bill S-222, concerning bulk water removal from international boundary waters, was brought up for second reading, and debate on it was adjourned. Several other bills and inquiries were also discussed or adjourned.
On June 2, 2009, the Senate sat, hearing Senators' Statements, committee reports, engaging in Question Period, debating various bills including the "An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal)" which was adjourned, and holding a Committee of the Whole hearing with Mary Simon of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on residential school apology commitments, before concluding with a question of privilege regarding legislative disclosure procedures.
This artifact is a record of a Senate sitting on June 2, 2009. It details various proceedings including Senators' Statements on diverse topics, the presentation of committee reports, notices of motions, and Question Period where senators asked questions on issues such as medical isotope supply, financial institution policies, and carbon emission reductions. The sitting also included debate on several bills, including the "An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal)", which was adjourned. A significant portion of the sitting involved a Committee of the Whole hearing from Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, regarding progress on commitments following the government's apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools. The sitting concluded with the adjournment of debate on the "An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal)" and a question of privilege concerning the disclosure of bill details prior to its introduction in the Senate.
On June 4, 2009, the Senate heard statements on various topics, completed routine proceedings, held a brief question period, and continued debate on several bills, including Bill S-222 concerning bulk water removal.
This is a record of a Senate sitting on June 4, 2009. It includes Senatorial statements on various topics such as agricultural prison farms, birthdays, retirements, and historical anniversaries. Routine proceedings involved the tabling of reports from various Senate committees and the first reading of two bills. Question period was brief as the government was unable to answer questions. The Senate then moved to Orders of the Day, debating and referring several bills to committee, including Bill S-222, An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal), which was continued from a previous debate. Other debates and inquiries covered topics such as official languages, broadcasting, energy sector studies, and international treaties.
During the Senate's second reading debate, Senator Murray presented Bill S-222, aiming to correct flaws in the 2001 amendments to the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act concerning bulk water removal, while the Senate also addressed numerous other procedural items and debates.
This record details a debate in the Senate concerning Bill S-222, an Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal). Senator Lowell Murray, the sponsor of the bill, delivered a speech explaining the bill's purpose. The debate also covered various other Senate proceedings, including tributes, tabling of reports, first readings of bills, and ongoing debates on other matters.
The Senate proceeded with various business, including referring the subject matter of Bill S-222 to committee and engaging in significant debate on other legislative matters and Senate procedures.
On June 17, 2009, the Senate sat and conducted various business. A key procedural step for Bill S-222, An Act to amend the International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (bulk water removal), occurred when a motion was adopted to refer the subject matter of the bill to the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, rather than the bill itself. Other Senate business included tabling reports, presenting petitions, making statements on various topics, and debating other bills. Significant debate occurred regarding Bill S-7 (Senate term limits) and Bill C-24 (Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement).
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
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 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