A Mini Lesson on PMBs | Feb 7, 2022
In Canada, a private member’s bill is a bill introduced in the House of Commons by a member of parliament who is neither a cabinet minister nor a parliamentary secretary.
A private member’s bill follows the same legislative process as a government bill, but the time allocated for its consideration is restricted.
Private members’ bills may be considered only during one of the daily Private Members’ Hours. Under rules established in 1986, 20 items of private members’ business are selected at random to receive priority in debate. Six of these items are chosen by a committee to be voteable and must come to a vote in the House.
When an election is called, all bills that have not been passed die on the order paper (that is, they are removed from the agenda of Parliament, and must be re-introduced in the new session of Parliament after an election).
In the House of Commons (but not in the Senate), private members’ bills remain on the order paper when Parliament is prorogued.