Bill S-34 · 37th Parliament · Jean Chrétien
Royal Assent Act
An Act respecting royal assent to bills passed by the Houses of Parliament
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedOct. 1, 2001
- Debated in principleOct. 3, 2001
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberMarch 18, 2002
- Passed the second chamberMay 31, 2002
- Became lawJune 4, 2002
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Jean ChrétienPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
63% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (330 words introduced, 417 passed).
substantial changeintent mostly kept
The bill kept its core goal of allowing royal assent by written declaration as an alternative to the traditional ceremony. Parliament added a preamble, raised the minimum number of traditional assents per year from one to two, and required the first appropriation bill each session to use the ceremony.
- Added a preamble explaining the constitutional role and tradition of royal assent.
After: “WHEREAS royal assent is the constitutional culmination of the legislative process;”
- Changed the minimum number of customary royal assents required each year.
Before: “Royal assent shall be signified in the form and manner referred to in paragraph 2(a) at least once in each calendar year.”
After: “(1) Royal assent shall be signified in Parliament assembled at least twice in each calendar year.”
- Added a rule that the first appropriation bill of the session must receive assent in Parliament assembled.
After: “(2) Royal assent shall be signified in Parliament assembled in the case of the first bill of the session appropriating sums for the public service of Canada based upon main or supplementary estimates.”
- Allowed more than one member from each House to witness assent given by written declaration.
After: “(3) The signification of royal assent by written declaration may be witnessed by more than one member from each House of Parlia”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The Act sets out two clear methods for royal assent with fixed numerical and categorical requirements. A few phrases leave minor room for procedural interpretation but do not create broad subjective tests.
Open to argument
“may be witnessed by more than one member from each House of Parlia”
The phrase sets a minimum but supplies no upper limit or selection criteria, leaving details open.
Clear-cut
“at least twice in each calendar year”
Uses a specific number and calendar period that can be verified without argument.“the first bill of the session appropriating sums for the public service of Canada based upon main or supplementary estimates”
Identifies a single, objectively recognizable bill by its content and timing.“A written declaration of royal assent is not a statutory instrument for the purposes of the Statutory Instruments Act”
Directly excludes the declaration from an existing statutory regime with no discretion.
Discretion. Almost no power is delegated to ministers or officials; the Act confines itself to parliamentary officers and fixed rules.
Challenging the law itself. The provisions govern internal parliamentary procedure and engage no obvious Charter rights such as section 2(b) expression or section 7 liberty.
Disputing a charge under it. Section 7 expressly prevents invalidity for non-compliance with the minimum requirement, and the Act imposes no duties on private persons.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
no evaluation found
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.