OTTAWA – Bill C-10, the legislation to modernize the Broadcasting Act, passed the first reading in the Senate on Tuesday, June 22nd.
Then the debate on second reading started on Wednesday afternoon. Senate administration added a new motion that very same morning.
The Bill was introduced by Senator Dennis Dawson, seemingly on behalf of the Government as he read a speech supporting the Bill and answering questions from other Senators, some of them strongly opposing the Bill. “We were not expecting to get to second reading as of today and now that we are sitting next week, I hope we can send this Bill to the Committee of Transport and Communications as soon as possible. Negotiations are ongoing on when the Committee will meet,” said Dawson.
As he started his speech, he indicated that the Department of Canadian Heritage would hold briefings for Senators in short order.
Senator Dawson was the one who was quoted in last Saturday’s Globe and Mail saying that the bill has a “zero-per-cent chance of success” before Wednesday’s scheduled recess. “There is no scenario by which the Senate will get this bill and study it in June, and we’re not scheduled to sit in July, so, end of story,” he said in that story.
It seems the delays in adopting the federal budget in the House of Commons have extended the sitting schedule of the Senate to Friday, which make it possible to have the Bill adopted int the Senate.
The Senate debate on C-10 was adjourned to the next sitting.
Then, at around 5 p.m. Wednesday, in the House of Commons, this time, Justice Minister David Lametti introduced Bill C-36, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Human Rights Act and to make related amendments to another Act (hate propaganda, hate crimes and hate speech).
Parliament is scheduled to come back after summer recess on September 20, if no election is called.
