How a Bill Is Passed in Parliament
How a Bill is passed in Parliament
Before you can pass a new law it has to go through a series of steps. There are 6 steps and throughout these steps it can be changed, altered, and it may not even make it to the end without it being completely thrown off the table.
The first step to making a law is called a First Reading. This is when any idea for a new law is written down. It’s called a bill. Once it is written down, it is read in the House that it is starting from. Then the Second Reading takes place. This is where the Bill is given a second look and the parliamentarians debate the idea behind the bill. They consider questions such as, “Is the idea behind the bill good?” “Does it meet people’s needs?” “Who will be affected by this bill?” If the House likes the idea of the bill and a majority votes for it, it goes through to the third stage.
At the Committee stage (the third stage) the bill is looked at in much greater detail. The committee brings the bill to meetings with outside stakeholders where these people can make comments and suggestions. The committee can also review the bill with experts on the subject. After the committee reviews the bill they send it back to the law makers with suggestions or possible amendments to be debated. Sometimes further comments are invited from parties who did not contribute to the committee stage. This is the Report Stage. (fourth stage)
Following the Report Stage, the bill goes to the parliamentarians for a Third Reading. If the bill passes the Third Reading with a majority then it goes to the other house and goes through the same stages. During this time the senate goes through it, if both the house and the senate have passed the bill in the same words then the bill is given off to the Governor General for the final approval, and it can become law. This is called the Royal Assent.
You may think that this is easy to do but depending on the bill and how long the debates go it can take a long time. Sometimes you
Before you can pass a new law it has to go through a series of steps. There are 6 steps and throughout these steps it can be changed, altered, and it may not even make it to the end without it being completely thrown off the table.
The first step to making a law is called a First Reading. This is when any idea for a new law is written down. It’s called a bill. Once it is written down, it is read in the House that it is starting from. Then the Second Reading takes place. This is where the Bill is given a second look and the parliamentarians debate the idea behind the bill. They consider questions such as, “Is the idea behind the bill good?” “Does it meet people’s needs?” “Who will be affected by this bill?” If the House likes the idea of the bill and a majority votes for it, it goes through to the third stage.
At the Committee stage (the third stage) the bill is looked at in much greater detail. The committee brings the bill to meetings with outside stakeholders where these people can make comments and suggestions. The committee can also review the bill with experts on the subject. After the committee reviews the bill they send it back to the law makers with suggestions or possible amendments to be debated. Sometimes further comments are invited from parties who did not contribute to the committee stage. This is the Report Stage. (fourth stage)
Following the Report Stage, the bill goes to the parliamentarians for a Third Reading. If the bill passes the Third Reading with a majority then it goes to the other house and goes through the same stages. During this time the senate goes through it, if both the house and the senate have passed the bill in the same words then the bill is given off to the Governor General for the final approval, and it can become law. This is called the Royal Assent.
You may think that this is easy to do but depending on the bill and how long the debates go it can take a long time. Sometimes you