December 21, 2001

2001 has been an historic time for Parliament. In fact, we have had an exceptionally productive year of debate, legislation and parliamentary reform.

The government has introduced 59 government bills in 2001, including 22 since the return of the House on September 17.

The House has passed 49 bills in 2001, 21 bills since September. Thirty-eight bills have received Royal Assent in 2001, including 14 since September. That’s up from 30 bills passed in 2000 and 34 in 1999.

Since the events of September 11, Parliament has been Canada’s forum for debate, information and scrutiny on our response to the terrorist threat.

The House spent over 50 hours in special debates on the U.S. tragedy.

The House and Senate passed Bill C-36, the Anti-terrorism bill, which received Royal Assent a few days ago.

We introduced Bill C-42, the Public Safety bill, to ensure the safety of Canadians in the event of national emergencies.

The House passed Bill C-44 to maintain access by Canadian air carriers into the U.S. market.

We have also moved forward on important legislation to meet our November 2000 election commitments of creating and sharing opportunity for Canadians.

We concluded our first year since the 2000 election with the December 10 budget, which maintains our promises for a balanced budget and give tax relief to Canadians, and funds new security, economic and social priorities.

Economic bills passed by the House and Senate: S-23, to overhaul customs rules, and C-38, removing the individual shareholder ownership limit on Air Canada. The House has passed C-23, the competition bill.

Trade and international bills passed by the House and Senate: C-31, modernizing the Export Development Corporation, C-32, the Costa Rica trade bill, S-31, the tax treaties bill, and S-33, the carriage-by-air bill. The House has passed C-35, the foreign missions bill and C-41, updating provisions for the Canadian Commercial Corporation.

Environment bill passed by the House and Senate: C-6, to manage water resources. The House has passed C-10, the marine parks bill and C-27, the nuclear waste bill. C-5, the Species at Risk bill, is at Report Stage.

Bills to build strong and safe communities passed by the House and Senate: C-24, the organized crime bill, and C-46, to limit drunk driving by using ignition interlock devices. C-7, the youth justice bill, has been returned to the House for consideration of a Senate amendment. C-15A, to deter child pornography, is in the Senate. C-15B, the cruelty to animals bill, and C-30, the courts administration bill, are at Report Stage.

Bills on aboriginal issues: C-39, the Yukon bill, C-37, the Alberta/Saskatchewan claims bill, and C-33, the Nunavut bill, have all been passed by the House.

We have continued with parliamentary reform by passing legislation to bring parliamentary compensation more into line with other comparable groups, funding more Committee research by the Library of Parliament, and new rules for the House – including more special debates and more televising of Committee hearings.