Two very familiar debates will echo in Senate rooms this autumn and
winter as the government prepares to continue pushing two controversial
farmer-affecting bills through Parliament.
Soon after a new parliamentary session begins Sept. 30 with a throne
speech outlining the government’s agenda, House leader Don Boudria will
propose a motion that legislation from the old session be reintroduced
at the legislative stage they had reached in the House of Commons when
the old session ended.
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That means the bills on species-at-risk and cruelty-to-animals will
reappear as having been approved by the Commons and sent on their way
to the Senate for final approval.
Farm groups convinced that both bills need amending to make them more
farmer-friendly will be lined up for a chance to plead for changes
during Senate committee hearings.
And the opposition Canadian Alliance party vows to do whatever it can
to fight both bills. Prolonged Alliance stalling tactics led the
government to force both bills through the Commons by cutting off
debate before Parliament adjourned for the summer in June.
With only British Columbia senator Gerry St. Germain to carry the fight
in the Upper House, the ability of the Alliance to stall in the Senate
is limited.
But Alliance House leader John Reynolds said last week the fight will
continue and the government may be in for some surprises.
“I can assure you we will fight as hard as we can against these bad
bills,” Reynolds said.
“I don’t intend to tip the government off to our strategy but we will
have a plan to fight.”
Party sources suggest that the CA will propose an amendment to
Boudria’s motion that suggests bills C-5 and C-15B be excluded from the
plan to allow bills from the last session to reappear in the new
session. It would give Alliance MPs two or three more days in the
Commons to attack the bills.
A parade of farm groups is expected to use Senate hearings to urge
amendments.
“Our position has not changed and we will be there,” said Canadian
Federation of Agriculture executive secretary Brigid Rivoire. “We are
on the committee list of witnesses.”
Like other critics, CFA witnesses are expected to demand at least a
couple of changes:
- An amendment to species-at-risk legislation, C-5, to make
compensation to affected landowners mandatory if their use of land is
restricted because it is endangered species habitat. The bill forced
through the Commons makes compensation optional at the discretion of
the environment minister and does not require full compensation for
loss.
- An amendment to cruelty-to-animals proposals,
C-15B, to ensure that normal farm practices are not liable to be
targeted by animal rights activists.
Rural Liberal MPs thought they had that commitment from justice
minister Martin Cauchon when they voted for the bill in June but the
minister later denied he had made any promise of an amendment in the
Senate.
Canadian Alliance MPs also plan to use the opening of a new
parliamentary session to demand that the government end the lockout of
grain handlers in Vancouver and present final offer arbitration
legislation as a way to avoid future disruptions of grain exports.
