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FederalDid not become law (session ended)43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill S-4 explained in plain English

An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts

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

Short answer

Bill S-4 adjusts financial allowances for senators, modifies appointment procedures for officials, and updates parliamentary committee rules.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
43rd Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill S-4
Full title
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Senate bill awaiting first reading in the House of Commons
Last updated
Jun 1, 2021
Sponsor

Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd 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
Senate bill awaiting first reading in the House of Commons
Latest Activity
Jun 1, 2021
Sponsor
Plain-language explanation

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

AI-assisted
Short Version

Bill S-4 adjusts financial allowances for senators, modifies appointment procedures for officials, and updates parliamentary committee rules.

What It Means

Bill S-4 amends the Parliament of Canada Act and other federal statutes to adjust financial benefits for senators, modify appointment processes for officials, and update rules for parliamentary committees. It also revises definitions related to allowances and entitlements for legislators.

What This Bill Does
  • Adds additional annual allowances for certain senators starting July 1, 2022, with amounts based on party size and position
  • Requires consultation with Senate and House of Commons leaders when appointing officials like Information Commissioners and Auditors General
  • Allows designated leaders to change membership of the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
  • Updates salary rounding rules to round down to the nearest hundred dollars and adjust annually using an index
  • Revises definitions of 'annual allowance' to include payments under the Parliament of Canada Act
  • Modifies disability-related entitlements for resigning legislators to include 70% of annual salaries and allowances
  • Alters requirements for the Emergencies Act's Parliamentary Review Committee membership
Who Is Affected
  • Senators in leadership roles (e.g., Government Leader, Opposition Leader)
  • Leaders of recognized Senate parties
  • Parliamentary committees (especially the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration)
  • Officials appointed by Parliament (e.g., Information Commissioner, Auditor General)
  • Resigning legislators with disabilities
  • Parliamentary Review Committee members under the Emergencies Act
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The exact amounts of additional allowances for senators are not specified in the text
  • The specific index used for salary adjustments is not detailed
  • The precise criteria for changing committee membership are not fully described
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Parliament of Canada Act
amended

Includes changes to annual allowances for senators, consultation requirements for appointments, committee membership rules, and salary indexing provisions

Salaries Act
amended

Includes provisions about salary rounding and indexing for parliamentary roles

Access to Information Act
amended

Includes changes to appointment procedures for the Information Commissioner

Auditor General Act
amended

Includes changes to appointment procedures for the Auditor General

Privacy Act
amended

Includes changes to appointment procedures for the Privacy Commissioner

Emergencies Act
amended

Includes changes to requirements for the Parliamentary Review Committee

Lobbying Act
amended

Includes changes to appointment procedures for the Lobbying Commissioner

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
Apr 30, 2021
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, Apr 30, 2021
End of stage activity, Apr 30, 2021
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - Apr 30, 2021

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
May 26, 2021
Completed

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

Second reading, May 26, 2021
End of stage activity, May 26, 2021
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - May 6, 2021

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 Response speech 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 Response speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at second reading - May 25, 2021

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 - May 26, 2021

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

Step 3
Third reading
Jun 1, 2021
Completed

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

Third reading, Jun 1, 2021
End of stage activity, Jun 1, 2021
Chamber sittings
Debate at third reading - May 27, 2021

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 - Jun 1, 2021

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
Date not listed
Not reached

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
Not reached yet
Not reached

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

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Not reached yet
Not reached

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

Step 4
Report stage
Not reached yet
Not reached

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

Step 5
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

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

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Marc Gold
Senator | Details not listed in current Senate roster
Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament

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