Bill S-254 explained in plain English
An Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 42nd 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
Bill S-254 designates the week beginning on the first Monday in October each year as "Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week" across Canada.
Bill S-254 is a short federal bill that creates an official national week in Canada to promote learning of essential skills. Each year, the week that starts on the first Monday in October will be called "Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week." The bill does not create any programs, funding, or requirements—it simply establishes this official designation. The intent is to give the Minister of Employment and Social Development, as well as interested institutions and organizations, an opportunity to highlight the importance of essential skills and lifelong learning through events and public awareness activities. The bill is based on the premise that essential skills are important for functioning in society and the job market, and that many Canadians lack sufficient essential skills. The preamble also notes that Canada has endorsed the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes goals about lifelong learning and decent work.
- This draft was normalized from a partial local-model response and must be reviewed before publication.
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-254, an Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, completed its first reading in the Senate on September 26, 2018, and subsequently moved to second reading with related speeches.
On September 26, 2018, Bill S-254, an Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, received its first reading in the Senate. This is a procedural step where the bill is formally introduced. The bill later proceeded to second reading, with a sponsor's speech on October 23, 2018, and a response speech on March 19, 2019.
Bill S-254, an Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, was introduced and received first reading in the Senate.
On September 26, 2018, in the Senate, Bill S-254, an Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, was introduced and received its first reading. This is the initial procedural step for a bill in the Senate. The rest of the sitting included tributes to Senator Art Eggleton, discussions on various public policy matters, and the introduction of other notices and bills, as well as debates on other legislative items. The introduction of Bill S-254 itself did not involve debate on its content at this stage.
Bill S-254, concerning the establishment of Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, is currently undergoing second reading debate in the Senate.
The Senate is currently at the second reading stage for Bill S-254, which aims to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week. The latest activity recorded is debate that took place on March 19, 2019. The bill had its first reading on September 26, 2018, and its second reading commenced on October 23, 2018.
The Senate debated Bill S-254, which aims to establish "Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week" to raise awareness about the crucial need for essential skills development in Canada's evolving economy.
On October 23, 2018, the Senate debated Bill S-254, "An Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week." The debate focused on the importance of essential skills development in Canada's economy, particularly in the context of the "fourth industrial revolution." The bill itself aims to designate the first week of October as "Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week" to raise awareness and encourage collaboration among stakeholders. While the bill is symbolic, it is intended to anchor a national conversation and highlight the urgency of addressing Canada's skills shortage. The debate also touched upon the history of similar initiatives, the need for standardized training, and the shared responsibility for skills development. The bill was referred to committee for further study.
During a Senate sitting on October 23, 2018, the debate on Bill S-254, concerning the establishment of Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, was adjourned after the sponsor introduced the bill.
The Senate was in session on October 23, 2018. The artifact provided covers several procedural activities, including tabling reports, continuing debates on various bills, and question period. Specifically for Bill S-254, "An Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week," the debate at second reading was adjourned. This means the Senate discussed the bill but did not complete the stage and will return to it later. The sponsor of the bill, Senator Diane Bellemare, introduced the bill and explained its purpose of promoting essential skills learning in Canada, noting that this is an urgent matter given the changing economy. The debate was then adjourned on motion by Senator Martin.
The Senate began debate on Bill S-254, aiming to establish a national week for promoting essential skills, with a senator supporting the bill and discussing its connection to another bill on workforce skills.
On March 19, 2019, the Senate began debate on Bill S-254, An Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week. Senator Raymonde Gagné spoke in support of the bill, highlighting the importance of a national conversation on essential skills and suggesting that the proposed "Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week" could coincide with the start of discussions for Bill S-256, the "National Framework for Essential Workforce Skills Bill". Senator Ghislain Maltais asked questions regarding employer and educational institution consultation and financial frameworks for the bill.
On March 19, 2019, the Senate continued debate on Bill S-254 (Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week) and Bill S-256 (National Framework for Essential Workforce Skills), with Senator Gagné emphasizing the need for national dialogue and adaptable skills development.
During this Senate sitting on March 19, 2019, the primary focus was on various tributes, procedural matters, and ongoing debates for several bills. The Senate debated Bill S-254, An Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week, with Senator Raymonde Gagné speaking in support of the bill. She highlighted the importance of a national conversation on essential skills and how Bill S-254 complements Bill S-256, which aims to create a national framework for these skills. The debate also touched upon the need for collaboration between governments, industry, and educational institutions, and the importance of considering social and personal impacts alongside economic ones. The Senate also continued debate on Bill S-256, a bill to establish a national framework for essential workforce skills, with Senator Gagné also speaking in support of this bill, emphasizing the need for adaptable skills to keep pace with technological change and the importance of including vulnerable populations in skills development.
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