Bill S-212 explained in plain English
An Act to establish International Mother Language Day
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-212 designates February 21st of each year as "International Mother Language Day" across Canada, without making it a legal holiday.
Bill S-212 is a short federal law that establishes February 21st as "International Mother Language Day" in Canada every year. The bill recognizes that Canada has many languages—including English, French, over 60 Aboriginal languages, and languages spoken by people from many backgrounds—and that this linguistic diversity is part of Canada's culture. The bill notes that the United Nations declared International Mother Language Day in 1999 to promote the preservation of languages worldwide, and that some Canadian provinces and cities already recognize this day. However, the bill makes clear that this designation does not make February 21st a legal holiday or an official day off work. It is simply a day of recognition.
- Designates February 21st of each year as 'International Mother Language Day' throughout Canada
- Recognizes the value of linguistic and cultural diversity in Canada
- Clarifies that International Mother Language Day is not a legal holiday or non-juridical day (i.e., people are not entitled to time off work or school)
- All Canadians
- Speakers of the many languages in Canada (including English, French, Aboriginal languages, and immigrant languages)
- No new legal obligations or rights are created by this bill
- February 21st of each year is designated as International Mother Language Day
- The bill text does not specify how or whether the federal government, provincial governments, or other bodies will observe or promote International Mother Language Day
- The bill text does not describe what activities or events may occur on this day
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-212, an Act to establish International Mother Language Day, completed its first reading in the Senate on February 5, 2020, and is currently at second reading.
This record indicates that Bill S-212, an Act to establish International Mother Language Day, completed its first reading in the Senate on February 5, 2020. This is a procedural step where a bill is formally introduced in the Senate. The bill's current status is at second reading in the Senate.
The Senate completed the first reading of Bill S-212, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day, during a sitting that also included tributes to a retiring senator and other procedural business.
On February 5, 2020, the Senate held its first reading of Bill S-212, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day. This occurred during a Senate sitting that also included tributes to Senator David Tkachuk, who was retiring. The sitting also featured the tabling of a report on the RCMP’s use of Law Enforcement Justification Provisions, notices of motions regarding question period, adjournment, and committee studies, and debates on various other bills and matters.
Bill S-212, aiming to establish International Mother Language Day, is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate with no recorded activity since its introduction and first reading.
This artifact indicates that Bill S-212, an Act to establish International Mother Language Day, has reached the second reading stage in the Senate. However, there has been "no activity" recorded at this stage. The latest recorded action for this bill was its introduction and first reading on February 5, 2020. The artifact also lists similar bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments but did not proceed to become law.
Bill S-212, aiming to establish International Mother Language Day, has not yet reached the Senate Third reading stage and is currently at second reading in the Senate, with its latest activity being its introduction and first reading on February 5, 2020.
The artifact describes the procedural stage of Bill S-212, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day, within the Senate. It indicates that the Senate Third reading stage has not yet been reached for this bill. The current status of the bill is 'At second reading in the Senate'. The latest recorded activity was its introduction and first reading on February 5, 2020. The artifact also lists similar bills introduced in previous Parliaments that aimed to establish International Mother Language Day, noting their procedural status at the time.
This procedural record indicates that the first reading of Bill S-212 in the House of Commons has not yet occurred, while the bill is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate.
This artifact describes the 'House of Commons First reading' stage for Bill S-212, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day. According to the provided text, this stage has not yet been reached. The bill's current status is 'At second reading in the Senate'. The 'Latest activity' indicates the bill had its introduction and first reading in the Senate on February 5, 2020. The artifact also lists similar bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments, including Bills S-241, S-247, C-573, and C-407, all related to establishing an International Mother Language Day. These past bills had varying statuses, with some not being proceeded with, one at committee consideration in the Senate, and others outside the Order of Precedence after first reading in the House of Commons.
Bill S-212, aiming to establish International Mother Language Day, has not yet reached the Second Reading stage in the House of Commons, with its last activity being its introduction in the Senate.
This record indicates that Bill S-212, concerning the establishment of International Mother Language Day, has not yet reached the Second Reading stage in the House of Commons. The latest recorded activity for this bill was its introduction and first reading in the Senate on February 5, 2020. The document also lists several similar bills that were introduced in previous parliamentary sessions but were not fully passed.
Bill S-212 has not yet reached the committee stage in the House of Commons, and is currently at second reading in the Senate, with previous similar bills also not proceeding to law.
This record indicates that Bill S-212, concerning the establishment of International Mother Language Day, 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. The provided text also lists similar bills from previous Parliaments that aimed to establish International Mother Language Day but did not become law.
Bill S-212, to establish International Mother Language Day, has not yet reached the Report stage in the House of Commons and is currently at second reading in the Senate.
This record indicates that Bill S-212, which aims to establish International Mother Language Day, has not yet reached the Report stage in the House of Commons. The bill's current status is at second reading in the Senate. The latest activity recorded for this bill was its introduction and first reading in the Senate on February 5, 2020. The artifact also lists similar bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments but were not proceeded with or completed their legislative journey.
Bill S-212, aiming to establish International Mother Language Day, has passed its first reading in the Senate and is currently at the second reading stage there, while the House of Commons Third Reading stage has not yet occurred.
This artifact describes the procedural status of Bill S-212, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day. The bill was introduced in the Senate and had its first reading on February 5, 2020. Currently, the bill is at the second reading stage in the Senate. The artifact also lists similar bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments but did not proceed further or reached different stages. The record indicates that the 'House of Commons Third reading' stage for this bill has not yet been reached.
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