Although an agreement was reached to advance government bills through their final stages before the House of Commons adjourned last Thursday, two key pieces of legislation related to the budget and border, specifically C-4 and C-12, will not become law until at least February.
This year, the Senate did not remain in session a week longer than the House of Commons, meaning any late legislation cannot be processed in the upper chamber and receive royal assent until Parliament reconvenes after its two-month break.
Chloé Fedio, the communications director for Pierre Moreau, the Senate’s government representative, stated in an email to CBC News that the Senate prefers not to rush the process.
“Bills C-4 and C-12 are intricate pieces of legislation that the Senate plans to examine in the new year,” Fedio noted. “There was no agreement to hastily push these two bills through the Senate within a single week.
“Senate leadership will formulate a strategy to ensure these legislative items are thoroughly reviewed when the Senate convenes again on Feb. 3.”
Fedio also highlighted that on November 26, the Senate agreed to initiate the review of the government’s fall budget implementation bill, C-15, across 11 different committees. She suggested that this collaboration with the Carney government’s recent priorities constrained senators’ ability to pre-study other bills like C-4 and C-12 before the winter recess.
Steven MacKinnon’s office, the government House leader, informed CBC News that it respects the Senate’s decision but is pleased to see both bills progress to a point where they have successfully passed through the House.
House accelerates proceedings
Following months of legislative backlog in the 44th Parliament, senators expressed frustration last June when Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly formed government pressured the Senate to hasten the Liberals’ new agenda in the 45th Parliament.
“Governments will naturally strive to advance their agenda in Parliament as swiftly as possible, but expediency should not compromise our established legislative processes,” Alberta Senator Scott Tannas commented earlier this fall.
Tannas expressed concerns shared by many of his colleagues regarding the rising trend of large omnibus bills, which pose challenges for senators trying to review them thoroughly in a short timeframe.
“Our bicameral system was intentionally established to ensure regional representation and minority interests are essential in the legislative process,” Tannas stated.
“Frequently, in the rush to pass legislation before adjournment, senators encounter pressure to avoid making amendments due to MPs having left Ottawa.”
According to the Senate’s published sitting calendar, December 11 was designated as its last sitting day for 2025, while the House of Commons was slated to rise on December 12.
However, in some years, the Senate remains in session longer than the Commons before breaking for its extended winter and summer recesses.
It is common for legislation to pass its final stages in the House at the last minute as they clear the legislative agenda before recess. When appointed senators continue their work slightly longer than the elected MPs, it allows for rapid movement to ensure that priority bills are enacted, particularly if the bills are time-sensitive and their eventual approval is assured.
Last-minute agreement in Commons
Last Thursday, following the final question period in the Commons for 2025, MacKinnon sought and obtained unanimous support from MPs to pass both Bill C-4 and C-12 at third reading without a standing vote, directing both pieces of legislation to the Senate.
C-4 had undergone extensive debate since its introduction in June. It formally endorses the personal income tax reduction, adjustments to the consumer carbon tax, and the GST rebate for new homebuyers that the Liberals implemented last summer. It also modifies how political parties are required to safeguard personal data under the Canada Elections Act.
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The Senate had taken measures to fast-track C-4 last June, including summoning Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne for special committee testimony on June 17. However, the urgency to pre-study its provisions became somewhat irrelevant when C-4 did not secure passage in the Commons before the summer break.
Provisions in C-12 were initially presented in late May as part of C-2, the Carney government’s first effort at comprehensive border security legislation. When certain elements of C-2 sparked controversy amid intense discussions regarding its “snooping” clauses, among other aspects, the government separated sections it believed could garner sufficient opposition support for quick passage and reintroduced only those measures as C-12 in October.
Amendments to C-12 made by the committee were voted on at the report stage shortly after the question period on Thursday afternoon. Moments later, the House consented to skip any further discussion and allow C-12 to pass through the Commons as well, as part of MacKinnon’s all-party agreement.
This same arrangement also enabled C-13, the legislation to facilitate the United Kingdom’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, to successfully clear its second reading without a standing vote and advance to a House committee for additional examination.
The House of Commons adjourned at 4:18 p.m., with the Senate following suit just five minutes later at 4:23 p.m. All parliamentarians are now on a two-month holiday break.
The House is set to reconvene on January 26, while the Senate will resume its sessions the following week, on February 3.