Canada
House of Commons
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Law-making
Data on parliament’s law-making role and activities
Legislative activity
- Number of laws adopted by parliament, per year
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36(2023)
Notes: This represents the number of Acts of the Parliament of Canada by calendar year, including Public General Acts and Private Acts.
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Total number of laws adopted by Parliament in the previous legislature
“Legislature” refers to the full period between the first session of a new legislature until it’s dissolution.
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40(2019-12 - 2021-08)
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Number of laws adopted in the previous legislature that were initiated by parliament
In some cases other entities have the right to initiate legislation in national parliaments – such as citizens, autonomous regions, and other high-level government institutions.
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8(2019-12 - 2021-08)
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Number of laws adopted in the previous legislature that were initiated by the government
In some cases other entities have the right to initiate legislation in national parliaments – such as citizens, autonomous regions, and other high-level government institutions.
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32(2019-12 - 2021-08)
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Percentage of laws initiated by parliament in the previous legislature
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of the laws adopted that were initiated by parliament by the total number of laws adopted in the previous legislature.
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20%(2019-12 - 2021-08)
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Dates of the previous legislature
Refers to the full period between the first session of a new legislature until it’s dissolution
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05 Dec 2019 to 15 Aug 2021(2019-12 - 2021-08)
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Outcome when the two chambers cannot agree on a piece of draft legislation
For bicameral parliaments: Outcome when the two chambers cannot agree on a piece of draft legislationNot applicable; The legislation cannot be adopted unless both chambers agree; The decision of the lower chamber will take effect after a certain deadline; The decision of the upper chamber will take effect after a certain deadline; Other (please specify) For bicameral parliaments: Outcome when the two chambers cannot agree on a piece of draft legislation
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The legislation cannot be adopted unless both chambers agree
Sources: A bill can become law only once the same text has been approved by both Houses of Parliament and has received royal assent.
Executive-legislative relations
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Legislation adopted by parliament requires the assent of the Head of State
In some countries, the Constitution foresees that legislation adopted by parliament must be signed into law by the Head of State. If so, the Head of State may, for example, have the power to veto the legislation, return it to parliament, or submit it to another body such as a constitutional court.
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Yes
Sources: Section 55 of the Constitution Act 1867, affirms that the Governor General can withhold Royal Assent, but convention dictates that a Governor General will always give assent to a bill which has passed both houses of Parliament.
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Number of times the Head of State declined to give assent to legislation, per year
In some countries, the Constitution foresees that legislation adopted by parliament must be signed into law by the Head of State. If so, the Head of State may, for example, have the power to veto the legislation, return it to parliament, or submit it to another body such as a constitutional court.
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0(2023)
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Consequences when the Head of State declines to give assent to legislation
Consequences when the Head of State declines to give assent to legislation: Not applicable; No further action is taken. The legislation is rejected; The legislation is returned to Parliament for re-examination; The legislation is referred to the Constitutional/Supreme Court;The legislation is put to a referendum; Other (please specify)
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Not applicable
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Final decision when parliament and the Head of State do not agree
Final decision when parliament and the Head of State do not agree: Not applicable; Parliament; Head of State; Constitutional/Supreme Court; Other (please specify)
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Not applicable
Existence of a procedure to introduce emergency legislation
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There is a procedure for introducing emergency legislation into parliament
In some countries, the Constitution may allow the government to submit emergency legislation to parliament. The provision may, for example, allow the government to set a deadline for parliament to debate a particular bill. The procedure may also be referred to differently depending on the parliament, for e.g., urgent proceedings. In general, this is a formalized procedure that involves speeding up the passage of legislation by circumventing normal processes.
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Yes
- Number of times the procedure for emergency legislation was used, per year
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0
Sources: The Executive can use time allocation motions to speed up the passage of government legislation.