Bill C-203 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the National Defence Act (maiming or injuring self or another)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd 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 C-203 amends the National Defence Act to repeal an offence that criminalizes intentionally maiming or injuring oneself or another person to render oneself or that person unfit for military service.
Bill C-203 is a short bill that changes the National Defence Act. Currently, the National Defence Act makes it an offence for a member of the Canadian Armed Forces to intentionally maim or injure themselves or another person with the purpose of making themselves or that person unfit for military service. Bill C-203 removes this offence from the law. The bill repeals paragraph (c) of section 98 of the National Defence Act, which contains this provision. The effect is that it will no longer be a criminal offence under military law specifically for someone to maim or injure themselves or another with the intent to render themselves or that person unfit for service.
- Repeals paragraph (c) of section 98 of the National Defence Act, which made it an offence for a member of the Canadian Armed Forces to intentionally maim or injure oneself or another person for the purpose of rendering oneself or that person unfit for military service
- Members of the Canadian Armed Forces
- The Department of National Defence
- The bill text does not explain the reason or rationale for repealing this offence
- The bill text does not clarify whether other laws may still apply to conduct involving maiming or injuring oneself or others (such as Criminal Code offences)
- The bill does not specify an effective date; the text indicates it was given first reading on February 6, 2020, but its current status is 'Outside the Order of Precedence,' which means it has not been scheduled for further debate or passage in Parliament
- The specific wording of paragraph (c) of section 98 is not provided in the bill text
Removes the offence of maiming or injuring oneself or another person with intent to render oneself or that person unfit for service from military law
Source: Section 1 of Bill C-203
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 C-203 has not yet proceeded to its first reading in the Senate and is currently outside the Order of Precedence.
This artifact indicates that Bill C-203 has not yet reached the 'Senate First reading' stage. The latest activity recorded for this bill was its introduction and first reading in the House of Commons on February 6, 2020. It is currently outside the Order of Precedence, meaning it has not yet been scheduled for debate or action in the Senate.
Bill C-203 has not yet reached its Second Reading stage in the Senate and is currently outside the order of precedence.
This artifact describes the procedural status of Bill C-203 in the Senate. The bill has not yet reached the Second Reading stage in the Senate and is currently listed as 'Outside the Order of Precedence'. Its last major completed action was its First Reading in the House of Commons on February 6, 2020. Similar past legislation, Bill C-426, also aimed to amend the National Defence Act regarding maiming or injuring self or another.
Bill C-203 has not yet reached the Third Reading stage in the Senate and is currently outside the Order of Precedence.
This record indicates that Bill C-203, concerning amendments to the National Defence Act related to maiming or injuring self or another, has not yet reached the Third Reading stage in the Senate. The bill's current status is 'Outside the Order of Precedence', meaning it has not been scheduled for debate or further procedural action in the Senate. The latest significant procedural activity noted was its introduction and first reading in the House of Commons on February 6, 2020.
Bill C-203 completed its first reading in the House of Commons on February 6, 2020, and is currently outside the Order of Precedence.
This record indicates that Bill C-203, an Act to amend the National Defence Act regarding maiming or injuring self or another, had its first reading in the House of Commons on February 6, 2020. The bill is currently outside the Order of Precedence, meaning it has not yet been scheduled for debate or further progression. The text also notes that a similar bill, C-426, was introduced in a previous Parliament.
During the House of Commons sitting on February 6, 2020, Bill C-203 was introduced for the first time to amend the National Defence Act to address self-harm as a mental health issue rather than a disciplinary offense.
On February 6, 2020, the House of Commons debated Bill C-203, an Act to amend the National Defence Act concerning maiming or injuring oneself or another. Mr. Randall Garrison introduced the bill, explaining that it aims to repeal subsection (c) of section 98 of the National Defence Act, which makes self-harm a disciplinary offense within the military code of conduct. He stated that this change would send a message that self-harm is a mental health issue, not a disciplinary one, citing the ongoing loss of Canadian Armed Forces members to suicide. The bill was read for the first time and printed. The rest of the sitting focused on other government business, including debates on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act.
Bill C-203 has been introduced and received first reading but has not yet proceeded to second reading in the House of Commons.
This artifact describes the status of Bill C-203, an Act to amend the National Defence Act concerning maiming or injuring oneself or another. The bill has not yet reached the Second Reading stage in the House of Commons and is currently outside the Order of Precedence. Its latest activity was its introduction and first reading on February 6, 2020. The artifact also notes a similar bill, C-426, which was introduced in a previous Parliament.
Bill C-203 has not yet reached the committee stage in the House of Commons, as it is currently outside the Order of Precedence, with its last activity being first reading on February 6, 2020.
This record indicates that Bill C-203, an Act to amend the National Defence Act related to maiming or injuring oneself or another, has not yet reached the 'Consideration in committee' stage in the House of Commons. The bill's current status is 'Outside the Order of Precedence', meaning it is not currently scheduled for debate or further action. The latest activity recorded for this bill was its introduction and first reading on February 6, 2020. The record also notes a similar bill, C-426, introduced in a previous Parliament.
Bill C-203 has not yet reached the House of Commons Report stage and is currently outside the Order of Precedence, with its last activity being its first reading on February 6, 2020.
This artifact describes the procedural status of Bill C-203 in the House of Commons. The bill has not yet reached the Report stage, and its current status is "Outside the Order of Precedence." The latest recorded activity for this bill was its introduction and first reading on February 6, 2020. The text also notes that a similar bill, C-426, was introduced in a previous Parliament.
Bill C-203 has not yet reached the Third Reading stage in the House of Commons and is currently outside the Order of Precedence.
The artifact describes the procedural status of Bill C-203 in the House of Commons. The bill has reached the stage of "House of Commons Third reading" but this stage has not yet been reached. The bill's current status is "Outside the Order of Precedence." The latest activity recorded for this bill was its introduction and first reading on Thursday, February 6, 2020. A similar bill, C-426, was introduced in a previous Parliament.
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