The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3, 2006 until September 7, 2008. The membership was set by the 2006 federal election on January 23, 2006, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections. The Parliament was dissolved on September 7, 2008, with an election to determine the membership of the 40th Parliament occurring on October 14, 2008.
There were two sessions of the 39th Parliament: SessionStartEnd 1st April 3, 2006 September 14, 2007 2nd October 16, 2007 September 7, 2008
Overview
The 39th Parliament was the longest minority government led by any Canadian federal government until the record was surpassed by Justin Trudeau's Liberal minority government in the 44th Parliament on June 17, 2024. No other Conservative minority had previously lasted a full year, and only Lester B. Pearson's governments had lasted more than two.
The 39th Parliament was controlled by a Conservative Party minority, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the 28th Canadian Ministry, which assumed power on February 6, 2006. The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party, led first by interim leader Bill Graham, and then by Stéphane Dion for the remainder of the Parliament's life.
The Speaker was Liberal Peter Milliken. Milliken was re-elected as the Speaker of the House for the 39th Parliament on April 3, 2006. The Speaker only votes in a tie, and, as Milliken is a Liberal, the Liberal caucus was effectively reduced by one. This, along with the defection of Wajid Khan to the Conservatives enabled the Conservatives to pass legislation with the cooperation of any one of the three opposition parties: Liberals, Bloc Québécois, or New Democratic Party (NDP).
The Parliament was dissolved by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper on September 7, 2008. The general election for the members of the 40th Parliament of Canada was held on October 14, 2008.
Party standings The party standings as of the election and as of dissolution on September 7, 2008, are on the table below. Between these events, five members of the House of Commons crossed the floor, one died, twelve resigned, and nine members were elected in by-elections to fill vacancies, leaving four vacancies at dissolution. In that same period, two senators died, six reached the mandatory retirement age of 75, four resigned, and two were appointed to fill vacancies, leaving fifteen vacancies at dissolution. Step-by-step changes are listed in the Members section. See List of Canadian federal electoral districts for a list of the ridings in this parliament. AffiliationHouse membersSenate members2006 electionresultsAt dissolutionOn electionday 20061At dissolution1241272322103956758514800293012001400133550043000100012Total members3083041009004515Total seats308105 1Members of the Canadian Senate are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and remain as senators until the age of 75, even if the House of Commons has been dissolved or an election has been called. 2Lillian Dyck was officially designated as affiliated with the New Democratic Party, despite the fact that the party would not accept her affiliation (due to the party's position on the Senate). Her official affiliation did not change until October 31, 2006. 3André Arthur, Louise Thibault, Bill Casey. 4 Blair Wilson as a member of Green Party.
Major events
Liberal leadership During the election campaign, the Liberal leader was then-Prime Minister Paul Martin. After the election results were announced, Martin announced his intention to resign, but did not indicate when, other than saying he would not lead the party into the next election. On February 1, 2006, the Liberal Party Caucus chose Bill Graham as parliamentary leader, meaning he served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons until the election of Stéphane Dion as Liberal leader at the Liberal Party leadership convention, held December 2–3, 2006.
On March 18, 2006 Martin tendered his resignation as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Five priorities
Prime Minister Harper said he would move forward with his top five priorities from the campaign. At least four of these would require legislative action: the passage of a Federal Accountability Act in response to the sponsorship scandal; setting longer mandatory sentences; lowering the Goods & Services Tax to 6% (and eventually to 5%); giving $1,200 for parents per child under the age of 6; and negotiating with the provinces to shorten wait-times (this priority was replaced, post-election, with combating crime by creating more police officers). The child allowance and first GST were in place by July 1, 2006. On December 6, 2006, another issue many expected to arise in the first session of parliament did, in fact, come to the fore, when the government introduced a motion calling "on the government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages". The next day, the House defeated the motion by a vote of 175 to 123, with six cabinet ministers voting against it, and Harper declared the issue settled. (See Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage for more information.) and on January 1, 2008 the second GST reduction came into effect. The Federal Accountability Act received Royal Assent on December 12, 2006
Legislation and motions Important business of the 39th Parliament includes the following bills and motions. Note that not all of these bills become law. Motions (excepting those which pass bills) have no effect in law. A complete list of bills of the 39th Parliament is on the Parliament's website, divided into bills from the 1st and 2nd sessions. On the site, the bills are divided into government bills, private member's bills, and private bills for both the House and the Senate.
Noteworthy acts passed by 39th Parliament Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act (officially "An Act providing for conflict of interest rules, restrictions on election financing and measures respecting administrative transparency, oversight and accountability"), received Royal Assent in the Senate on December 12, 2006, and is now becoming law. The Act plans to reduce the opportunity to exert influence with money by banning corporate, union, and large personal political donations; create a five-year lobbying ban on former ministers, their aides, and senior public servants; provide protection for whistleblowers; and enhancing the power for the Auditor General to follow the money spent by the government.
Bill C-13 is The 2006 Canadian federal budget, which received Royal Assent in the Senate on June 22, 2006.
A motion in the House to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan by two years was successful. The motion was supported by the Conservatives and 30 Liberal MPs, allowing it to narrowly pass 149–145 on May 17, 2006. Even outside of government bills, the Prime Minister's support of Canada's action has been a recurring topic, gaining him both supporters and critics among the Canadian population. On March 13, 2008, the mission was further extended until July 2011 by a vote of 197–77, with Conservative and Liberal MPs in favour, and Bloc and NDP MPs opposed.
Bill C-24, the "Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006" put into effect the deal made between the Canadian and American governments regarding the longstanding softwood lumber debates. The Act received Royal Assent December 14, 2006.
A motion passed by the opposition parties (161 for to 115 against) on February 5, 2007 to reaffirm Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. The motion may not have any legal effect, but it is related to Bill C-288 – which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2007.
Bill C-16, titled "An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act", is a bill to set fixed election dates. Future elections will be held on the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election. Had Parliament not been dissolved on September 7, 2008 the next general election under this act would have been held on October 19, 2009; instead the next general election took place on October 14, 2008. The provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador have already implemented fixed election dates for their own provincial elections. Bill C-16 passed in the House on November 6, 2006 and the Senate on March 28, 2007. The House began discussing the amendments made in the Senate on April 21, 2007. The House voted against the amendments on April 24, 2007. On May 1, 2007, the Senate chose not to insist on its amendment. The bill received Royal Assent on May 3.
Bill C-9, titled "An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conditional sentence of imprisonment)", is a bill to set minimum penalties for offences involving firearms. Under this act, persons convicted of a serious personal injury offence or a terrorism offence with a term of imprisonment of ten years or more would not be eligible for a conditional sentence. Bill C-9 passed in the House on November 3, 2006 and was passed by the Senate on May 16, 2007. The bill received Royal Assent on May 31, 2007.
Bill C-2, titled An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (Tackling Violent Crime Act) was the government's omnibus crime bill which received Royal Assent on February 29, 2008 and amended several pieces of legislation. Among other things, the bill raised the age of consent to 16 from 14, imposed minimum mandatory sentence for crimes involving firearms, instituted a "three-strikes-and-you're-out" (also known as a "reverse onus sentencing") for habitual offenders, and restricted "house arrest" policies for serious offenders. The bill received royal assent on February 28, 2008 and sections 1 to 17, 28 to 38, 54, 57 and 58 went into force on May 1, 2008 and sections 18 to 27, 39 to 53, 55, 56, 59 and 60 went into force on July 2, 2008.
Bill C-288, an act of the opposition parties to try to make the government support its global climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. It received Royal Assent on June 22, 2007.
Bill C-52 is the 2007 Canadian federal budget.
Bill C-50 is the 2008 Canadian federal budget.
Noteworthy motions passed by 39th Parliament
A successful motion in the House to recognize the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada. The motion was put forward by the Prime Minister in reaction to an announced motion by Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe that would recognise Quebec as a nation, but did not contain the words "in Canada". The motion easily passed 266 to 16, with all party leaders voting in favour, including Duceppe
On June 3, 2008, the Parliament of Canada passed a motion (137 to 110) which recommended that the government immediately implement a program which would "allow conscientious objectors...to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations...to...remain in Canada..." The motion gained international attention from The New York Times, Britain's BBC and the New Zealand press.
Private Member's Motion 296, which stated "That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately adopt a child first principle, based on Jordan's Principle, to resolve jurisdictional disputes involving the care of First Nations children." was passed unanimously in the House of Commons on December 12, 2007.
Failed acts and motions
A government motion to reopen the same-sex marriage debate failed. The 38th Canadian Parliament, led by the Liberals, had legalized same-sex marriage a year earlier. Several provinces had legalized same-sex marriage before that. During his campaign, Harper promised a parliamentary vote on reopening the issue. The motion failed 175–123 leaving same-sex marriage legal in Canada and the legal debate about it closed.