Bill S-250 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Department of Justice Act
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 45th 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 amend the Department of Justice Act to require the Minister of Justice to table a statement with every government bill, outlining its potential impacts on Indigenous rights and consistency with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Bill S-250, also known as the Indigenous Rights Statement Act, proposes to amend the Department of Justice Act. It would require the Minister of Justice to table a statement with every government bill introduced in Parliament. This statement would outline the bill's potential effects on the rights of Indigenous Peoples recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and whether the bill is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. If the statement indicates potential effects on Indigenous rights, it must also include a summary of consultations held with the relevant Indigenous peoples or state that no consultations took place. The bill defines "Indigenous peoples" as having the meaning assigned by the definition of "aboriginal peoples of Canada" in subsection 35(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982. The proposed changes would come into effect one year after the bill receives royal assent.
- Amends the Department of Justice Act to require the Minister of Justice to table a statement for every government bill introduced in Parliament.
- Requires the statement to outline the potential effects of the bill on rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- Requires the statement to outline the potential effects of the bill on the rights of Indigenous Peoples as recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
- Requires the statement to indicate whether the bill is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- If the statement identifies potential effects on Indigenous rights, it must include a summary of consultations with Indigenous peoples or state that no consultations were undertaken.
- Defines 'Indigenous peoples' for the purposes of these subsections by referring to the definition of 'aboriginal peoples of Canada' in subsection 35(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982.
- Sets the commencement date for the Act to the first anniversary of the day it receives royal assent.
- The Minister of Justice.
- Members of Parliament (House of Commons and Senate).
- Indigenous Peoples of Canada.
- The Government of Canada.
- Parliament.
- The Minister of Justice has a duty to table a statement for every government bill.
- The statement must outline potential effects on Charter rights.
- The statement must outline potential effects on Indigenous rights recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
- The statement must indicate consistency with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- If potential effects on Indigenous rights are identified, a summary of consultations must be included, or it must be stated that no consultations occurred.
- The Act comes into force on the first anniversary of the day on which it receives royal assent.
- The bill text does not specify what constitutes an "adequate" level of consultation or engagement.
- The bill does not define 'potential effects' on Indigenous rights beyond the reference to section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
- The specific content or format requirements for the 'detailed summary of any consultations undertaken' are not fully detailed beyond the requirement for a summary.
Adds a requirement for the Minister of Justice to table a statement with government bills regarding their effects on Indigenous rights and consistency with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and clarifies the definition of 'Indigenous peoples'.
Source: Section 2 of the bill
References section 35, which recognizes and affirms the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada, in relation to the proposed statements.
Source: Section 2 of the bill
The preamble references subsection 8.3(1) which states that enactments are to be construed as upholding Aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples.
Source: Preamble of the bill
The preamble references section 5, which states the Government of Canada must take measures to ensure laws are consistent with the Declaration.
Source: Preamble of the bill
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.
During the Senate sitting on June 18, 2026, Bill S-250, an Act to amend the Department of Justice Act, was introduced and read for the first time, marking its initial procedural step in the Senate.
On June 18, 2026, the Senate held its first reading of Bill S-250, an Act to amend the Department of Justice Act. The first reading is a procedural step where a bill is formally introduced to the chamber. The Senate also conducted other business, including tributes to departing pages, statements on various national observances, tabling of committee reports, consideration of messages from the House of Commons, and debates on several other bills. The sitting concluded with Royal Assent being given to multiple bills and the Senate adjourning until September 28, 2026.
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.
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