While speaking to NDP MP Bill Siksay today, I learned a few new things about the upcoming schedule for Bill C-389, which would give explicit human rights protection to trans Canadians.
The bill is slated for debate at third reading on March 3, but what has become apparent is that there will be only one hour of debate instead of two, given that a vote was forced at report stage. As it stands, this would mean that a final vote would be on March 9 (the first Wednesday after the debate).
Assuming the House lasts that long (there has been no date announced for when the budget will come down, so a potential spring election triggered by said budget remains up in the air), this means that it could make it to the Senate before that point.
As of yet, Siksay hasn’t had any discussions with senators about who would be willing to shepherd the bill through the Upper Chamber, but he says that may have to do as much with the availability of certain senators to champion the cause as it does interest in doing so. Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth has stated on the record that she will support the bill when it comes before the Senate.
(For those of you who are near Siksay’s riding, he will be holding a New Year’s Levee on Saturday, Jan 22.)
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