By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – It is now just about certain Bill C-10, an Act to modernize the Broadcasting Act, will die at the door of the Senate, unless there is no fall election, something which is still a remote possibility.
Despite this, the bill moved along through report stage and third reading debates and votes on Monday evening, as this proceeding is still governed by the motion adopted in the House of Commons on June 14 to allocate one hour debate for each stage and to be dealt with one after the other and the votes to be held notwithstanding the time of day.
Then it moves to the Senate, where it will go nowhere, it would seem.
From what we read in the National Post that Conservative Senator Leo Housakos last Friday and in the Globe and Mail, on Saturday, this time from Progressive Senate Group Senator, Dennis Dawson (in his heart he is still a Liberal), that there is no chance the Senate will fast track the legislation especially since it was modified by may amendments and stirred such controversial commentaries.
Despite all that, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault was still holding out hope when he spoke to the Banff World Media Fest last Thursday.
While a fall election may not happen and has not yet been called, the writing appears to be on the wall. We have heard through sources the government is preparing to ramp up more broadband funding announcements throughout the summer (getting rural folks happy before voting) and last week, every MP who has announced they aren’t running again gave their farewell speech to the House of Commons, assuming they won’t he back again.
