Bill S-220 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act (directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 41st 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-220 would amend the Broadcasting Act to allow the federal government and Parliament to issue written directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on implementing Canada's broadcasting policy.
Bill S-220 proposes to change the Broadcasting Act to give the federal government and Parliament new powers to direct the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada). Under the proposed changes, the Minister could issue written directives to the CBC President about how to apply Canada's Broadcasting Policy, but only after consulting with the President and getting approval from the Governor in Council (Cabinet). Parliament could also issue directives through a resolution passed by both the Senate and House of Commons. Any directive from the Minister would have to be published in the Canada Gazette (the official government publication) and presented to Parliament within 15 days. The bill specifies five topics that these directives could cover: - The CBC's image and branding - News coverage from across the country, including national perspective coverage, in both English and French - Coverage of all aspects of Canadian reality in both English and French - Increased cooperation between the CBC's English and French networks - Support for researchers working in journalism and communications The bill's official summary notes that some of these directives could potentially affect the CBC's independence, which is currently protected under the Broadcasting Act.
- This draft was normalized from a partial local-model response and must be reviewed before publication.
Two new sections (46.2 and 46.3) are added to create government and parliamentary directive powers over the CBC. Section 46.4 also modifies what subjects these directives can address by overriding existing restrictions in subsection 46(5).
Source: Section 1; new sections 46.2, 46.3, and 46.4
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-220, concerning amendments to the Broadcasting Act regarding directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, completed its first reading in the Senate on June 13, 2013, with debate at second reading following on June 18, 2013.
This artifact describes the first reading of Bill S-220 in the Senate on June 13, 2013. This is a procedural step where the bill is formally introduced. The artifact also notes that debate at the second reading stage occurred on June 18, 2013, and mentions a speech by Senator Pierre De Bané.
The Senate introduced Bill S-220 for first reading and conducted other routine parliamentary business.
The Senate convened for a sitting on June 13, 2013. During this sitting, Bill S-220, an Act to amend the Broadcasting Act (directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), was introduced and received its first reading. This means the bill has officially been presented to the Senate and is now at the beginning of the legislative process. The rest of the sitting included tabling of reports, question period, and debates on other bills and inquiries.
Bill S-220, concerning amendments to the Broadcasting Act related to directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, was at the second reading stage in the Senate, with a debate and the sponsor's speech occurring on June 18, 2013.
This artifact describes the status of Bill S-220 in the Senate. The bill was at the second reading stage. The latest activity noted is the debate at second reading on Tuesday, June 18, 2013. The bill had its first reading on Thursday, June 13, 2013. The sponsor's speech was given by Senator Pierre De Bané on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.
The Senate debated multiple topics on June 18, 2013, including the adjournment of the second reading debate for Bill S-220 concerning directives to the CBC, and reports on RCMP harassment and Aboriginal issues.
On June 18, 2013, the Senate debated various topics. One key item was Bill S-220, concerning amendments to the Broadcasting Act related to directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This bill was at the second reading stage and the debate was adjourned. Other discussions included reports on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's culture regarding harassment, the involvement of Aboriginal peoples in the War of 1812, the Gimli Glider anniversary, and various government actions and reports.
During the Senate's second reading debate on Bill S-220, Senator Pierre de Bané introduced proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Act to increase the accountability of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) by allowing the government to issue written directives on specific aspects of its operations, citing concerns about the CBC's perceived lack of accountability and reporting imbalances.
On June 18, 2013, the Senate debated Bill S-220, an Act to amend the Broadcasting Act (directives to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Senator Pierre de Bané introduced the bill, explaining that it aims to address an anomaly in the Broadcasting Act where the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is not held accountable for its decisions, as identified by the CRTC. The bill proposes that the government could issue written directives to the CBC regarding its image, branding, news coverage, cooperation between its English and French networks, and support for journalism researchers. Senator de Bané cited a CRTC study from 1977 that highlighted issues of accountability and the 'cultural apartheid' between the CBC's English and French services, particularly noting the disparity in news coverage between Quebec and the rest of Canada. He argued that taxpayer money should be spent as intended and that the CBC's lack of accountability was a more immediate danger than a potential loss of autonomy. The debate was adjourned, indicating the bill had not yet been passed.
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