Bill C-30 · 38th Parliament · Paul Martin
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and the Salaries Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedDec. 3, 2004
- Debated in principleDec. 9, 2004
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberApril 12, 2005
- Passed the second chamberApril 20, 2005
- Became lawApril 21, 2005
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Paul MartinPrime 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
66% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (4,517 words introduced, 3,966 passed).
substantial changeintent broadened
The passed act kept the core salary and allowance framework but added many new paid positions for Senate and House roles. It inserted specific new allowances for deputy whips, caucus chairs and deputy house leaders that were absent from the introduced bill.
- Added new Senate positions with salaries after the Government Whip entry.
After: “(f.1) the member of the Senate occupying the position of Deputy Government Whip in the Senate, $5,200;”
- Added further Senate caucus and whip positions with salaries.
After: “(f.2) the member of the Senate occupying the position of Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate, $3,100; (f.3) the member of the Senate occupying the position of Chair of the Caucus of the Government in the Senate, $6,100; (f.4) the member of the Senate occupying the position of Chair of the Caucus of the Opposition in the Senate, $5,200;”
How precisely it is written
preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill fixes exact dollar amounts for salaries and allowances in the 2004-2005 fiscal year and applies a mechanical formula using a published government wage index for later years. All key terms are defined and calculations contain no subjective standards or open discretion.
Clear-cut
“the annual sessional allowance that shall be paid for the fiscal year commencing on April 1, 2004 to Members of”
Supplies a concrete dollar figure rather than a range or standard.“the index of the average percentage increase in base-rate wages for the calendar year, resulting from major settlements negotiated with bargaining units of 500 or more employees in the private sector in Canada, as published by the Department of Human Resources Development within three months after the end of that calendar year.”
Creates an objective, externally published numeric multiplier with a fixed publication deadline.“There shall not be appointed more Parliamentary Secretaries than the number of ministers who hold offices for which salaries are provided in section 4.1 of the Salaries Act.”
Uses a strict numerical cap tied to a defined list of offices.
Discretion. No discretionary power is granted to ministers or officials; amounts and adjustments are determined solely by the statutory formulas and the published index.
Challenging the law itself. The provisions set compensation schedules with no obvious impact on Charter rights such as expression or equality, and the language is not vague or overbroad.
Disputing a charge under it. Compliance turns on arithmetic application of fixed dollar figures and the published index, leaving little room for factual dispute.
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.