Report stage

After the bill has been amended and passed at committee it is referred back to the chamber for what is known as report stage. At this point any parliamentarian in the chamber may propose amendments to the bill.

Once all amendments have been debated and voted on at the report stage, the bill goes to a vote. If the amended bill fails, then it is dropped from the Order Paper. If it passes, it goes to third reading.

Third reading

Don’t worry, this is the final reading!

After all amendments from all stages are passed, then a vote is taken on the bill as written. If the vote passes, then the bill is referred to the House of Parliament. If the bill is defeated, then it is dropped from the Order Paper.


All done, right?!

Wrong! The bill must then go through the same process all over again in the other House. For example, if a bill passes third reading in the House of Commons, it must go through the same process in the Senate and vice versa.

Once the bill has been passed third reading in the exact form in both the House of Commons and the Senate, it moves onto…


Royal Assent

The bill must go to the Crown (the Governor General) for approval. There are two ways for royal assent to be given:

1. Written. Both Clerks present the Governor General with documentation saying that the bill has passed both their Houses in identical form and the Governor General signs the documents.
   
   
2. Ceremonial. The Governor General signs the bill into law as an Act of Parliament through a ceremony in the Senate where both Senators and Members of Parliament may be present.

So what can pro-lifers do?

Whenever a bill is before Parliament that affects life issues, it is important that pro-lifers encourage Parliamentarians to vote pro-life through all the various stages. RightNow produces guides to assist you and groups of pro-lifers in your riding to contact your elected representatives, as well as Senators (if it is federal legislation).

Elected representatives are most moved by the lobbying efforts of their own constituents. Join RightNow today and we will guide you on how to effectively lobby politicians to vote pro-life!