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FederalPassed40th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill C-2 explained in plain English

An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the States of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Republic of Iceland, the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Kingdom of Norway and the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Swiss Confederation

Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

Short answer

Bill C-2 implements free trade and agriculture agreements between Canada and EFTA countries and individual EFTA members, establishing the legal framework for these international commitments.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
40th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill C-2
Full title
An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the States of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Republic of Iceland, the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Kingdom of Norway and the Agreement on Agriculture between Canada and the Swiss Confederation
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal assent received
Last updated
Apr 29, 2009

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.

Chamber
Parliament of Canada
Current Stage
Royal assent received
Latest Activity
Apr 29, 2009
Plain-language explanation

AI-generated from official bill text; automatically checked and spot-reviewed.

AI-assisted
Short Version

Bill C-2 implements free trade and agriculture agreements between Canada and EFTA countries and individual EFTA members, establishing the legal framework for these international commitments.

What It Means

Bill C-2 implements international trade and agriculture agreements between Canada and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), as well as separate agriculture agreements with Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. The bill establishes the legal framework to enforce these agreements, which likely involve trade rules, market access, and agricultural terms of trade.

What This Bill Does
  • Establishes the legal framework to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states
  • Creates mechanisms to enforce agriculture agreements with Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland
  • Defines Canada's obligations under these international trade and agricultural agreements
Who Is Affected
  • Canadian businesses trading with EFTA countries
  • Canadian agricultural producers
  • Canadian regulatory agencies overseeing international trade
  • Government departments responsible for trade policy
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill text does not specify exact changes to existing laws or regulations
  • No details are provided about specific penalties, fees, or implementation timelines
  • The exact scope of agricultural provisions is not detailed in the summary text
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Canada–EFTA Free Trade Agreement
Implementing legislation

Provides the legal basis for Canada to fulfill its commitments under the free trade agreement with EFTA states

Agreement on Agriculture with Iceland
Implementing legislation

Establishes how Canada will apply its agricultural trade commitments with Iceland

Agreement on Agriculture with Norway
Implementing legislation

Defines Canada's legal obligations under its agricultural trade agreement with Norway

Agreement on Agriculture with Switzerland
Implementing legislation

Outlines how Canada will implement its agricultural trade commitments with Switzerland

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. Coverage is limited to the official text extracted for this bill version.

Official text

Parliamentary Process

Step 1
First reading
Mar 31, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

First reading, Mar 31, 2009
End of stage activity, Mar 31, 2009
Chamber sittings
First reading - Mar 31, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 2
Second reading
Apr 22, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Second reading, Apr 22, 2009
Referral to committee, Apr 22, 2009
End of stage activity, Apr 22, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Apr 2, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

We don't have a plain-language summary for Sponsor’s speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at second reading - Apr 22, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

We don't have a plain-language summary for Response speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Apr 23, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Committee report presented, Apr 23, 2009
End of stage activity, Apr 23, 2009
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented - Apr 23, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Committee report presented yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 4
Third reading
Apr 28, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Third reading, Apr 28, 2009
End of stage activity, Apr 28, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at third reading - Apr 28, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 1
First reading
Jan 28, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Introduction and first reading, Jan 28, 2009
End of stage activity, Jan 28, 2009
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - Jan 28, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Introduction and first reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 2
Second reading
Feb 5, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Second reading and referral to committee, Feb 5, 2009
End of stage activity, Feb 5, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Feb 2, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at second reading - Feb 4, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Second reading and referral to committee - Feb 5, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading and referral to committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Mar 4, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Committee report presented, Mar 4, 2009
End of stage activity, Mar 4, 2009
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented - Mar 4, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Committee report presented yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 4
Report stage
Mar 12, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Concurrence at report stage, Mar 12, 2009
End of stage activity, Mar 12, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at report stage - Mar 6, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

We don't have a plain-language summary for Sponsor’s speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at report stage - Mar 11, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at report stage - Mar 12, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 5
Third reading
Mar 30, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Third reading, Mar 30, 2009
End of stage activity, Mar 30, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at third reading - Mar 13, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debates of the Senate yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at third reading - Mar 23, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at third reading - Mar 30, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 1
Royal assent
Apr 29, 2009
Royal assent, Apr 29, 2009
End of stage activity, Apr 29, 2009
Chamber sittings
Royal assent - Apr 29, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Royal assent yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debates of the Senate 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

Yes
31
No
226
Abstain
0
Absent / Other
14
Final recorded House vote
Mar 30, 2009
271 representative positions are recorded in this official snapshot for this vote.
Sponsor
Stockwell Day
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament

No published representative vote breakdown

The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.

Official sources

This plain-English summary is based on official legislative sources and public records. It is intended for civic education and is not legal advice.

How this data is sourced