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FederalIn Progress45th Parliament, 1st Session

Bill S-204 explained in plain English

An Act to establish a national framework on heart failure

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

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
45th Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill S-204
Full title
An Act to establish a national framework on heart failure
Current status
In Progress
Latest event
At consideration in committee in the Senate
Last updated
Dec 9, 2025

Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 45th 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.

Chamber
Parliament of Canada
Current Stage
At consideration in committee in the Senate
Latest Activity
Dec 9, 2025
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

Bill S-204 establishes a federal framework for heart failure care, requiring the Minister of Health to develop a plan with stakeholder input, hold a conference within 12 months of enactment, and table a report within 18 months.

What It Means

Bill S-204 proposes a federal act to create a national framework aimed at improving access to heart failure prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across Canada. The framework would include measures for early detection, equitable care, patient education, and data collection. Key steps involve consultations with stakeholders, a conference to develop the framework, and reporting requirements to Parliament.

What This Bill Does
  • Mandates the Minister of Health to develop a national framework to improve access to heart failure prevention, diagnosis, management, and evaluation.
  • Requires the framework to include measures for early detection, equitable access, patient education, guideline-based treatment, addressing care disparities, data collection, and performance indicators.
  • Mandates consultation with provincial governments, Indigenous governing bodies, healthcare professionals, researchers, patient groups, and other stakeholders.
  • Requires the Minister to hold at least one conference with stakeholders within 12 months of the Act coming into force.
  • Requires the Minister to prepare and table a report on the framework before Parliament within 18 months of enactment.
  • Requires the Minister to publish the framework report on the Department of Health website within 10 days of tabling.
  • Requires a follow-up report on the framework's effectiveness within five years of the initial report's tabling, including current diagnosis/treatment status and recommendations.
Who Is Affected
  • Minister of Health (responsible for implementing the framework and reporting requirements)
  • Provincial governments (consulted during framework development)
  • Indigenous governing bodies (consulted during framework development)
  • Healthcare professionals and researchers (consulted during framework development)
  • Patient advocacy groups and patients (consulted during framework development)
  • Federal Parliament (to receive and review framework and effectiveness reports)
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify exact timelines for framework development beyond the conference and reporting deadlines.
  • The exact scope and content of the 'national framework' are defined by the Minister, with specific criteria outlined in the bill.
  • The bill does not detail financial provisions or funding mechanisms for implementing the framework.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Commencement provision for conference
commencement

The Minister must hold a conference with stakeholders within 12 months of the Act coming into force to develop the framework.

Source: Section 3(4)

Tabling of framework report
commencement

The Minister must prepare and table a report on the framework before Parliament within 18 months of the Act coming into force.

Source: Section 4(1)

Publication requirement
commencement

The framework report must be published on the Department of Health website within 10 days of being tabled in Parliament.

Source: Section 4(2)

Follow-up effectiveness report
commencement

A report on the framework's effectiveness must be prepared and tabled in Parliament within five years of the initial report's tabling.

Source: Section 5(1)

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 text

Parliamentary Process

Step 1
First reading
May 28, 2025
Completed

Bill S-204's Senate First Reading was completed on May 28, 2025, advancing it to committee consideration, with the next stage scheduled for November 18, 2025.

Introduction and first reading, May 28, 2025
End of stage activity, May 28, 2025
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - May 28, 2025

The Senate debate covers the introduction of bills, questions about official languages appointments, trade disputes, and a reference to the Speech from the Throne.

Step 2
Second reading
Dec 9, 2025
Completed

Bill S-204 completed its Senate second reading stage on November 18, 2025, advancing to committee consideration while key speeches were delivered during the debate.

Second reading, Dec 9, 2025
Referral to committee, Dec 9, 2025
End of stage activity, Dec 9, 2025
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Nov 18, 2025

The Senate debated healthcare-related bills, authorized fisheries studies, initiated a tourism inquiry, and paid tribute to Senator Massicotte.

The Senate debated motions to establish National Thanadelthur Day, create a diabetes care framework, authorize a fisheries committee, and launch a tourism inquiry, while also honoring Senator Paul Massicotte's legacy.

Debate at second reading - Nov 20, 2025

Senator Ravalia's speech during the Senate's second reading of Bill S-204 on November 20, 2025, focused on heart failure as a public health issue, advocating for improved healthcare access and treatment for affected patients.

Debate at second reading - Dec 3, 2025

The Senate completed the second reading of Bill S-204 on December 3, 2025, but the provided debate record includes unrelated motions and discussions rather than detailed analysis of the bill itself.

The Senate resumed debate on the second reading of Bill S-204, An Act to establish a national framework for heart failure care. The motion for second reading was moved by Senator Martin and seconded by Senator Batters. No specific discussion content about the

Debate at second reading - Dec 9, 2025

The Senate debated Bill S-216, affordability challenges, labour shortages, youth unemployment, and port disputes, with the government defending its policies and the opposition raising concerns about economic and social issues.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Date not listed
No activity

Bill S-204, aiming to establish a national heart failure framework, is currently before a Senate committee for consideration.

Step 4
Report stage
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, aiming to establish a national framework on heart failure, has been referred to a Senate committee, with its report stage not yet reached, and related speeches and readings are documented.

Step 5
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, concerning a national heart failure framework, has not yet reached the Senate Third Reading stage, with its most recent procedural step being referral to committee.

Step 1
First reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, concerning a national framework on heart failure, has reached its First Reading in the House of Commons, though that specific stage state is noted as not reached, while its overall progress is at committee consideration in the Senate.

Step 2
Second reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, concerning a national framework on heart failure, had its second reading stage in the House of Commons planned but not yet reached, as the bill is currently being considered by a Senate committee.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, aiming to create a national heart failure framework, has not yet reached the committee stage in the House of Commons, with its latest procedural action being a referral to a Senate committee.

Step 4
Report stage
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, concerning a national framework on heart failure, has not yet reached the Report stage in the House of Commons, while its progress in the Senate includes referral to committee and records of speeches during Second Reading.

Step 5
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-204, concerning a national framework on heart failure, has reached the procedural stage of House of Commons Third reading, which has not yet occurred, and is currently being considered by a Senate committee.

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
Yonah Martin
Senator | Conservative Party of Canada | British Columbia
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

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