Bill S-206 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (use of wood)
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 S-206 amends the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act to require the Minister to consider greenhouse gas reductions and environmental benefits when setting requirements for federal public works, and to allow the use of wood or other environmentally beneficial materials.
Bill S-206 makes a change to the federal law that governs how public works, federal buildings, and federal real property are managed. The bill adds a new requirement for the Minister overseeing these projects. When the Minister develops rules for building, maintaining, or repairing federal buildings and infrastructure, the Minister must now think about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental benefits. The Minister will be allowed to approve the use of wood or other materials and sustainable resources if they provide environmental benefits. This gives the Minister more flexibility to choose environmentally friendly options for federal construction and maintenance projects.
- Amends Section 7 of the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act by adding subsection (1.1)
- Requires the Minister to consider any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when developing requirements for federal public works, federal real property, and federal immovables
- Requires the Minister to consider any other environmental benefits when developing requirements for federal public works, federal real property, and federal immovables
- Allows the Minister to permit the use of wood or other materials, products, or sustainable resources that achieve environmental benefits in the construction, maintenance, or repair of federal public works
- The Minister responsible for Public Works and Government Services
- Federal departments and agencies involved in planning, constructing, maintaining, or repairing federal public works and buildings
- The federal government in its capacity as owner and operator of federal real property and immovables
- The Minister shall consider any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when developing requirements for federal public works construction, maintenance, or repair
- The Minister shall consider any other environmental benefits when developing requirements for federal public works construction, maintenance, or repair
- The Minister may allow the use of wood or any other material, product, or sustainable resource that achieves environmental benefits in federal public works
- Bill introduced December 11, 2019 (based on document metadata showing date 2019 12 11)
- The bill does not define what constitutes 'environmental benefits' or specify how they should be measured or compared
- The bill does not specify which materials or products qualify as achieving environmental benefits, leaving this determination to the Minister's discretion
- The bill does not establish mandatory timelines or procedures for how the Minister must consider greenhouse gas reductions and environmental benefits
- The bill does not indicate whether considering environmental benefits is binding or discretionary beyond the stated discretion to 'allow' certain materials
- It is unclear what the practical impact will be on actual procurement and construction decisions
A new requirement is added requiring the Minister to consider greenhouse gas emissions and environmental benefits when setting requirements for federal construction and maintenance, and allowing use of wood and other environmentally beneficial materials
Source: Section 7, subsection (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
Bill S-206, an Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act regarding the use of wood, completed its first reading in the Senate on December 11, 2019, and is now at the second reading stage.
Bill S-206, concerning the use of wood, had its first reading in the Senate on December 11, 2019. This is a procedural step where a bill is formally introduced. The bill is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate.
On December 11, 2019, the Senate held a sitting primarily focused on tributes to retiring Senator Serge Joyal, while also introducing Bill S-206 concerning the use of wood in government services.
This artifact is a record of the Senate sitting on December 11, 2019. The primary focus of the sitting was tributes to Senator Serge Joyal, who was preparing to retire. Senators from all parties shared personal anecdotes and praised his long career, contributions to Canadian law and democracy, advocacy for rights and freedoms, and support for arts and culture. Additionally, during Routine Proceedings, Bill S-206, An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (use of wood), was introduced and received its first reading. Other routine proceedings included tabling of documents and notices of motions. Question Period involved discussions on foreign affairs, trade, and social issues. The sitting concluded with debates and actions on other legislative items.
Bill S-206 was at the second reading stage in the Senate, with debate occurring on February 18, 2020.
This artifact details the procedural status of Bill S-206 in the Canadian Senate. It indicates that the bill was at the second reading stage and that debate occurred on February 18, 2020. The artifact also lists similar private member's bills from previous parliamentary sessions that aimed to amend the same Act.
On February 18, 2020, the Senate held a sitting that included tributes, routine proceedings, question period, and the commencement of debate at second reading for Bill S-206, concerning the use of wood in government construction, before adjourning the debate.
This is a record of a Senate sitting on February 18, 2020. The sitting included tributes to former colleagues, announcements, tabling of reports, and debates on various matters. Specifically, the Senate began the second reading debate for Bill S-206, an Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act concerning the use of wood in public works. The debate was adjourned.
Bill S-206, concerning the use of wood in relation to the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate and has not yet reached third reading.
The Senate has not yet reached the Third Reading stage for Bill S-206, which aims to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act concerning the use of wood. The bill's current status is 'At second reading in the Senate', with the latest activity being a debate at second reading on February 18, 2020. The bill had its first reading on December 11, 2019. The provided text also lists similar private member's bills from previous Parliaments that dealt with the same subject matter.
Bill S-206's First Reading in the House of Commons on December 11, 2019, is noted, but the stage is marked as 'Not reached'.
The artifact indicates that Bill S-206 reached its First Reading stage in the House of Commons on Wednesday, December 11, 2019. However, the 'Stage state' is listed as 'Not reached', suggesting this procedural step has not yet occurred or been formally processed in the current parliamentary session.
Bill S-206 has not yet reached the second reading stage in the House of Commons, although it is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate.
This record indicates that Bill S-206, concerning the use of wood in relation to the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, has not yet reached the second reading stage in the House of Commons. The bill is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate. Previous similar bills (C-354, C-574, and C-429) are mentioned, with their respective statuses in past Parliaments.
Bill S-206 has not yet been considered in committee in the House of Commons, as it is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate.
This artifact indicates that Bill S-206, concerning the use of wood in federal public works, has not yet reached the 'Consideration in committee' stage in the House of Commons. The bill is currently at the 'Second reading' stage in the Senate. Previous similar bills (C-354, C-574, and C-429) are also listed, with information on their progression and outcomes in past parliamentary sessions.
The House of Commons Report stage for Bill S-206 has not yet been reached, with the bill currently at second reading in the Senate.
The provided text describes the legislative process for Bill S-206 in the House of Commons. However, it indicates that the House of Commons Report stage for this bill has not yet been reached. The current status provided is "At second reading in the Senate", and the latest activity mentioned is a debate at second reading in the Senate on February 18, 2020. The text also lists similar private member's bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments but does not describe any specific procedural events for Bill S-206 within the House of Commons Report stage.
Bill S-206 has not yet reached the third reading in the House of Commons and is currently at second reading in the Senate, with previous similar bills noted.
This artifact indicates that Bill S-206, an Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (use of wood), has not yet reached the third reading stage in the House of Commons. The bill's current status is at second reading in the Senate. The artifact also lists similar bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments.
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