Bill S-7 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Senate term limits)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
Short answer
Bill S-7 would impose term limits and retirement age requirements on Canadian senators appointed after October 2008.
At a glance
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.
AI-generated from official bill text; automatically checked and spot-reviewed.
Bill S-7 would impose term limits and retirement age requirements on Canadian senators appointed after October 2008.
Bill S-7 proposes changes to the Constitution Act, 1867 to limit how long senators can serve. Senators appointed after October 14, 2008, would serve one eight-year term. They must retire at age 75. If their term is interrupted (e.g., by resignation or other circumstances), they could be reappointed for a new term with adjusted duration.
- Imposes an eight-year term limit for senators appointed after October 14, 2008
- Mandates retirement at age 75 for all senators
- Allows reappointment for interrupted terms with adjusted duration
- Amends the Constitution Act, 1867 to replace existing provisions about senator tenure
- Senators appointed after October 14, 2008
- All senators (regardless of appointment date) subject to retirement at age 75
- The Senate of Canada
- The exact implementation details for reappointment after interrupted terms are not fully specified in the text
- The relationship between the 2009 Constitution Act amendment and existing provisions is not explicitly clarified
Changes how long senators can serve, replacing existing term limits with new rules for post-2008 appointees
Modifies provisions related to senator tenure that were previously in place
Establishes new rules for senator term limits and retirement age
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. Coverage is limited to the official text extracted for this bill version.
Official textParliamentary Process
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 Introduction and 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 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.
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.
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 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
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