Parliamentarians in 2024 will be faced with a number of pieces of high-profile proposed legislation ranging from increasing consumer privacy and pharmacare, to transitioning away from fossil fuels and delaying the expansion of euthanasia to the mentally ill.
While the Opposition, especially the Conservatives, can be expected to vote against most of the Liberal government’s legislation, their votes may not be enough to kill the bills due to the Liberals’ confidence-and-supply partnership with the New Democrats.
Pharmacare for Canadians
Under the confidence-and-supply agreement signed by the Liberals and New Democrats in 2022, which included the NDP backing the minority government in key House of Commons votes, cabinet agreed to support the NDP’s bill on pharmacare and pass a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023. But it was recently announced by Health Minister Mark Holland’s spokesperson that pharmacare negotiations have been extended into 2024, with a new goal of introducing legislation by March 1.Ever since a cabinet-appointed advisory council’s recommendation for a universal, single-payer public pharmacare system was released in 2019, the Liberal government has been under pressure to deliver on the program. The advisory council estimated that a system would cost $15 billion a year once fully implemented, while a Parliamentary Budget Office report from October 2023 found the program would cost $11.2 billion in the first year of 2024–25 and increasing to $14.4 billion in 2027.
Increased Consumer Privacy
Bill C-27, also known as the Digital Charter Implementation Act 2022, would create a Consumer Privacy Protection Act to increase the control Canadians have over their personal information, as well as how digital platforms handle it. That would include a requirement that companies use easy-to-understand language when asking for consent to share information.The bill would also create rules on the responsible development of artificial intelligence systems, with companies being required to explain their rationale for developing such systems. A commissioner would have the authority to order independent audits of companies’ activities related to the technology.
Modernizing Investment Canada Act
Bill C-34, which would amend the Investment Canada Act to allow ministers more time and authority to decide if foreign investments might compromise national security, may also receive royal assent in 2024. The bill would require notice of certain investments to be given prior to their implementation, and authorize the industry minister to impose “interim conditions in respect of investments in order to prevent injury to national security that could arise during the review.”Support Transition to ‘Low Carbon’ Economy
Two bills that are meant to support Canada’s move away from fossil fuels and which were introduced by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson on Nov. 22 will also be voted on in 2024. Bill C-49 is meant to encourage offshore wind energy projects in Atlantic Canada, while Bill C-50 will establish a new training centre for “sustainable” jobs and a new government advisory body.Bill C-49 would update the offshore accords Ottawa has with the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, focusing on the development of offshore wind farms. The legislation does not address the compensation that would be given to fishermen who lose business because of the projects.
Delaying MAID Expansion
While the federal government’s expansion for medical assistance in dying (MAID) for people with mental health conditions was already delayed by a year until March 17, 2024, cabinet may introduce another piece of legislation delaying it even further. Justice Minister Arif Virani said in December that cabinet would “evaluate [MAID expansion] comprehensively to make a decision whether we move ahead on March 17, or whether we pause.”Relief for Farmers
The Conservative Bill C-234 passed the Senate in December, but not in the form they would have liked. While the legislation to remove the federal carbon tax from propane and natural gas used to heat or cool barns and dry grain passed the House with support from the NDP, Bloc Quebecois, and Greens, an amendment from a Liberal senator was added, removing everything except grain drying from the bill.Sen. Pierre Dalphond, who tabled the amendment, said he did so based on “clear evidence that reducing emissions in barn heating is possible now, like with other buildings, and that a three-year exemption is more reasonable than eight years for grain drying, considering available efficiencies and emerging technology.”
Online Harms Bill
The Liberal government is also working on legislation focused on stopping “online harms,” something it first promised back in 2019.While the Liberals introduced a “technical discussion paper” on the subject and rolled out a consultation process on a proposed online harms legislative framework in 2021, it died after a federal election was called. Concerns have been were on whether the legislation would lead to online censorship.
The Liberal Party’s platform says the proposed legislation is meant to address “hate speech.”
Justice Minister Virani said in December he does not want the legislation to go down the path of telling people “what to think, or how to criticize people,” or trying to curb free speech. While he was short on details, he said the upcoming bill would focus on online harms involving women and children, such as the sharing of intimate images without consent.
