LibertyVoice

Reports this morning indicate that the government plans to prorogue Parliament, effectively shutting it down until March. One of the effects of prorogation is that all bills that have not received royal assent die and must be restarted from the beginning when a new Parliament begins.  While the government can try to move bills with broad support quickly back through the process (reinstatement requires approval in the House), the delays are significant.  Only 27 of the 64 Government bills introduced during the current session have received royal assent, leaving 37 bills in need of a restart.  Of those, at least four involve technology law: C-27 (anti-spam, electronic commerce), C-46 (lawful access), C-47 (lawful access), and C-58 (ISP child pornography reporting).  The anti-spam bill was the most advanced, having cleared the House of Commons and slated for review by a Senate Committee early in the new year.