Campaign to Establish a Canadian Department of Peace

To become law, all legislation must successfully pass through three readings in both the House of Commons and the Senate. However, the Department of Peace Act, as a "Private Members' Bill," has a slightly more complicated journey.

Unlike bills put forward by Government Ministers,

 the introduction of Private Members' legislation - bills tabled by any Member of Parliament who is not in Cabinet - depends, quite literally, on the luck of the draw! To get an item on the Order of Precedence, Private Members rely on a lottery conducted at the beginning of each parliamentary session, which establishes the first 30 names on the list of consideration for Private Members' business.

Each sitting day, MPs at the top of the list have only one hour in the House to put forward their legislative and policy proposals. Interestingly enough, individuals can trade numbers if they choose, so an MP with a high number can still get lucky if someone is feeling generous!

Once an MP introduces his/her bill for first reading, they must garner support for their proposal. In a majority government context, however, this can be difficult, as any initiative without the party in power's backing will not move forward. 

As such, using Private Members' initiatives like the Department of Peace Act may ultimately serve an awareness-raising function rather than a legislative one.

Get Involved

1) Write a letter. Make a phone call.  

At the heart of every great

campaign are the voices of engaged citizens. We urge you to write letters, sign a petition, and call your MP to let the government know that you support creating a Department of Peace.