A Bill

A law is the result of a long process that begins with the proposal, formulation and drafting of a bill. Once drafted, it must be considered and approved by an elected assembly to become a law. 

In this video, Legislative Counsel from the Department of Justice Canada and the Parliament of Canada talk about bills introduced for consideration in both Houses of Parliament. They discuss who can introduce legislation and the difference between bills introduced by members of the government (Ministers) and those introduced by individual deputies or senators. 

The federal legislative process will be explored in more detail in an upcoming module. 

Types of Bills in the Parliament of Canada

As noted above, there are public bills and private bills. The following tables show the types of public bills that can be introduced in the House of Commons or the Senate. These bills may be of ministerial origin and are referred to as “government bills” or “ministerial bills”. These bills may also be of deputies; they are then called ”deputies’ bills” or “parliamentary bills”. 

H5P: House of Commons

H5P: Senate

In the following subsection, you will learn more about Omnibus Bills.