Canadians are generally governed by three levels of government.

Duties of Each level of Government

( in general)

How an idea becomes law

First Reading- the bill is introduced

The Second Reading- the bill is debated in the House

Committee Report - a committee considers the bill and hears public submissions

Third Reading- changes and the bill are voted on

Royal Assent- (by the Lieutenant Governor).

(This stage is absent at the municipal level)

Each province has a variation of the above.

See the:

Progress of Bills Chart ( British Columbia)

The assembly legislates by way of acts which begin as bills. Bills are one of three types: government bills, members' bills or private bills.

Not all governments have private bills as explained here by the British Columbia Legislature

GOVERNMENT BILL -- Government bills, which reflect the policy of the government, are introduced by a Minister of the Crown and may originate in a government department. They may create a new act, amend or repeal an existing act or consolidate provisions of various acts. In British Columbia, government bills are invariably introduced on message containing a Crown recommendation from the Lieutenant Governor. The Crown recommendation and message are required under the Constitution Act in matters involving appropriation of public funds and taxation. A message may be used for other purposes and is receivable at any time without notice. Numbers 1 - 199 are reserved for government bills.

Examples from British Columbia: Government Bills

Agri-Food Choice and Quality Act (Bill 26)
An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament (Bill 1)
Balanced Budget Act (Bill 28)
British Columbia Transit Amendment Act, 2000 (Bill 23)
Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2000 (Bill 3)

MEMBERS' BILL -- Members' bills are similar to government bills although introduced by a private member who is either a backbencher or a member of the opposition. Limitations exist on the content of members' bills in that they cannot create an offense, impose a penalty, alter the constitution, propose expenditure or an obligation on the Crown etc., as these areas are reserved for government bills. Introduction of a member's bill requires two days' notice, and the numbers M 200 - M 399 are reserved for members' bills. A private member cannot obtain a message from the Lieutenant Governor.

Examples from British Columbia: Members' Bills

Access to Prostate Cancer Screening Act (Bill M 210)
B.C. Hydro and Power Authority Referendum Act, 2000 (Bill M 204)
Biologists' Act 2000 (Bill M 211)
Community Health Assets Protection Act (Bill M 209)
Education as an Essential Service Act (Bill M 201)

PRIVATE BILL -- Private bills are applied for on petition by an individual(s), an association, company or other group, for a legislative enactment which is an exception to the general law. The application is made by way of petition sponsored by a member of the House and must be advertised to afford affected parties an opportunity to contest the application where appropriate. Because of the unique nature of a private bill in conferring benefits on a limited group it cannot proceed to second reading until the Private Bills Committee has approved the rationale for the bill. Examples of private acts include an act which would grant expropriation powers to a utility company for right-of-way, and the Vancouver Charter which incorporated the city of Vancouver prior to the passage of the Municipal Act. The applicant must pay a fee of $500 and pay for printing of the bill as well as advertising. The numbers Pr 400 - Pr 500 are reserved for private bills. Once approved by the Private Bills Committee a private bill is dealt with in the same fashion as a government or member's bill.

Private Bills from BC

Mission Foundation Amendment Act, 2000 (Bill Pr 401)
The British Columbia Insurance Company, 1904 Amendment Act, 2000 (Bill Pr 402)
Westmount Career Management Ltd. (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2000 (Bill Pr 403)

In Ottawa, a bill goes through similar stages with the addition of the Senate:

Before a bill becomes law, it goes through the following stages: (1) a Member is given leave of the House to introduce the bill; (2) the bill is read a first time and printed; (3) the bill is read a second time; (4) the bill is referred to committee; (5) the bill is considered in committee and reported back to the House; (6) the House concurs in the bill at report stage; (7) the bill is read a third time and passed by the House; (8) the bill goes through stages in the Senate approximately the same as those in the House; (9) finally, the bill receives Royal Assent ( by the Governor General).

Memorial Rotunda, BC Legislature House of Commons FAQ's Resources from the Saskatchewan Legislature Where to get information about Canada's parliamentary System Isodemographic map

LINKS WORTH VISITING Also see: How Canadian Govern Themselves Procedures of the House of Commons- How it Works Also watch the House in action on CPAC - especially Question Period Web Site     (includes a glossary) How laws are made- Manitoba Teaching About Local  Government in Alberta- Gr. 6 unit for teachers pdf format Local Government Websites Comparing Canadian and American Government

What's New at Parliamentary Public Programs?

Two electronic resources and a gateway to many other useful
sites for educators are now available online at www.parl.gc.ca
http://www.parl.gc.ca  (About Parliament/Education)

In cooperation with its partners on and off Parliament Hill,
the Library of Parliament has completed two new electronic educational resources: 
* People and Parliament - activity unit for teaching
about Parliament using the newspaper (grade 6 to 12 teachers)
* Setting the Agenda - activity resource for
understanding the work of an MP (grade 7 to 12 teachers)

These resources provide educators with information, insights
and practical suggestions for teaching about Parliament and citizenship.
These resources are in electronic format and can be consulted on-line.
Users can print only those sections they need and can also modify downloaded
sections to suit their students' needs.  Located on the Teaching Tools
<http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/AboutParl_Education.asp?Language=E&Sect=tools>
section of the web site, these resources are available free of charge.

The Library has also created a new section on the web site
for teachers. Background Resources for Educators
<http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/education/resources/index-e.htm>
gives teachers of all levels direct links to many excellent resources
available on the Internet about Parliament, the Senate and the House of Commons.
 

BC Legislative Chamber

Every province and territory has a web site with information about the proceeding of their respective legislative bodies and details about how each works.

Other pages to visit on this site:

Current Premiers

Prime Ministers of Canada

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