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Commons Break Maroons Many Bills Balance of Chrétien legislative legacy left in hands of Paul Martin Nov. 7, 2003. 06:12 PM OTTAWA (CP) - The House of Commons has spent its last working day of the Jean Chrétien era, leaving some major bills unpassed and their fate squarely in the hands of prime minister in waiting Paul Martin. As MPs left Ottawa today, legislation to create a new and more powerful ethics commissioner to oversee Parliamentary conflict-of-interest laws, a key piece of Jean Chrétien's legacy, was unexpectedly added to the unfinished list. The bill had been passed by the Commons, but the Senate added a surprise amendment today, which means the Commons has to pass the bill again before it can become law. The Senate then adjourned to Nov. 17. It's expected that the Commons will prorogue - ending the session - that day, leaving a backlog of legislation in limbo. "We're obviously disappointed," said Jim Munson, Chrétien's spokesman. "If the House prorogues, the new leader will have to decide what to do about this in the new year." Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch condemned the Senate amendment of the ethics bill: "Senators are so drunk on their own unaccountable power that they're incapable of sober second thought when it comes to enforcement of ethics rules for senators." The Commons has its own list of unfinished business, including: A bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, an initiative Justice Minister Martin Cauchon had heralded as long overdue. Legislation to revamp aboriginal self-government, a measure that Chrétien trumpeted upon its introduction but quietly backed away from after it met bitter opposition from many First Nations. A reform of drug patent laws to ease the shipment of AIDS medication and other desperately needed pharmaceuticals to developing countries. A measure to tighten child pornography laws by limiting the defence of artistic merit, a move applauded by law-and- order advocates but denounced by civil libertarians. In theory, the House is just taking a one-week break. In practice, nobody expects it to reconvene as scheduled Nov. 17. That's because Martin will be confirmed as Liberal leader by a party convention next Thursday. Chrétien is poised to call an end to the parliamentary session after that, to avoid returning to the Commons as a lame duck, although the murky status of the ethics commissioner bill may make the decision difficult. The Senate faces a slate of bills that have already passed the lower house, but won't get to them if the session ends. They include legislation creating seven new Commons seats - two in British Columbia, two in Alberta and three in Ontario - in time for the general election expected next spring. Also on the agenda is a long-promised initiative to establish a national sex offender registry to help police keep track of potential predators. The upper house is also reviewing legislation to outlaw human cloning and regulate embryonic stem cell research. Under parliamentary rules, any bills that haven't passed both houses will die upon prorogation. There is a simple procedure, however, for the government to resurrect them once a new session starts. Chrétien alluded to that earlier this week, insisting an end to the current session doesn't really mean an end to all the work in progress. "When you write that the bills disappear that's not correct," the prime minister told reporters. "The bills are generally reinstated." The catch is that it's a Martin-led government that will decide whether to reinstate them when the new session starts in February. Justice Minister Cauchon has expressed hope the marijuana bill will be among those revived, but there has been no word from Martin aides on whether that hope is well-founded. The chances of survival for the native self-government bill are slim. Martin has voiced misgivings about it and hinted he wants to go back to the drawing board. He has expressed support, however, for the AIDS drug initiative, the ethics commissioner bill and the new Commons seats that he wants in time for the election. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess. Chrétien aides admit privately there have been no deals struck and no promises made about what will survive and what will not. "There haven't been any discussions, formal or informal," said one insider. SOURCE: The Toronto Star http://tinyurl.com/u5ny * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn