Bill S-18 · 38th Parliament · Paul Martin
An Act to amend the Statistics Act
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedNov. 1, 2004
- Debated in principleFeb. 1, 2005
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberApril 19, 2005
- Passed the second chamberJune 28, 2005
- Became lawJune 29, 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 (503 words introduced, 482 passed).
minor changeintent kept
The bill passed with only formal updates to dates, assent information, and publishing authority. The substantive provisions on census records and the parliamentary review remained identical.
- Publishing authority updated from Senate to House of Commons.
Before: “Published under authority of the Senate of Canada”
After: “Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill uses fixed years, a 92-year period, and a consent requirement tied to the census moment to decide when records become public. The only open element is a future parliamentary review whose scope is described in broad terms.
Open to argument
“the administration and operation of subsection 18.1(2)”
The phrase sets no objective criteria for what aspects of administration must be examined.
Clear-cut
“ninety-two years after the census is taken”
A fixed, calculable period replaces any discretionary judgment.“only if the person to whom the information relates consents, at the time of the census”
Consent is required at a definite moment, creating a clear binary test.“No later than two years before the taking of the third census of population under section 19”
A specific statutory deadline removes timing discretion.
Discretion. Virtually none is delegated to ministers or officials; the release rules are fixed in the statute and oversight is assigned to a parliamentary committee.
Challenging the law itself. The provisions contain no vague or subjective language that would support a vagueness or overbreadth claim under s. 7 of the Charter.
Disputing a charge under it. Whether 92 years have passed or consent was given at the census are objective facts that leave 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.