DossierCanada — who sits and votes in Canada's Parliament
Challenged bills
✋ Challenge a billFederal MPs
Who represents you, how they vote, how often they sit.
The federal Cabinet
Who decides what, since when, and how they vote.
Up to date. These ministers come directly from the official Cabinet page on pm.gc.ca, scraped live — not a hand-maintained list.
C-228 — An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (prior review of treaties by Parliament)
Every bill summarized in plain language. Not clear enough? Ask for an explanation.
C-228
An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (prior review of treaties by Parliament)
BQ
Defeated
▾
BILL C-228
An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (prior review of treaties by Parliament)
Last activity : Bill defeated
BQ
Defeated
Commons · 1st2025-09-18Commons · 2ndCommons · 3rdSenate · 1stSenate · 2ndSenate · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Requires the Minister of Foreign Affairs to table every treaty in the House of Commons, along with an explanatory memorandum, at least 21 sitting days before ratifying it.
- Requires that when Canada plans to modify a treaty it has already ratified, the original treaty, an explanatory memorandum, the modification and an explanatory letter all be tabled 21 sitting days in advance.
- Sets out what the explanatory memorandum must contain: a summary, the ministers responsible, the treaty's implications for Canada, Canada's obligations, expected costs, any reservations, consultations held, and any laws that must be passed or amended.
- Creates a category of "major treaty," covering treaties that need federal legislation, impose significant financial obligations, touch Canada's territory or borders, involve trade, sanctions, or membership in international institutions.
- Requires each major treaty to be studied by a House of Commons committee, which must report back, before the Minister can ratify it.
- Allows the Governor in Council to exempt the Minister from these steps by order in exceptional circumstances, provided the documents and written reasons are tabled afterwards.
- Requires publication of the treaty and any change made after tabling: within 7 days on the Department's website, within 21 days in the Canada Gazette, and within 3 months in the Canada Treaty Series.
- Amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act; a private member's bill given first reading on September 18, 2025, sponsored by Mr. Simard.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
Votes in the Commons
Every recorded vote — who voted what, and by what margin.
On the “who voted what” detail — the House of Commons publishes each member's name for every recorded (nominal) vote (Yea / Nay / paired). The by-member breakdown above (the "+" button on each row) comes directly from that official source (ourcommons.ca), not an estimate. The party shown next to each name is taken from the current House roster; people who have since left the House appear separately under "Former members".
How to read a vote
Recorded vote
Members vote one by one and each choice is entered in the public record. That is what lets us say exactly who voted what — no interpretation.
Passed is not law
A passed vote clears ONE stage. A bill must pass both chambers and then receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
DossierCanada updates
What changed on the site, newest first
Hi! My name is
Martin Archambault
I'm 45, and dossiercanada.ca is your first step into democracy!
If we want people to understand politics, it has to be brought down to their level.
When I first tried to take an interest in it, on top of not knowing the jargon, bills came as two lines… and fifty PDFs. Most people would simply walk away.
So I had an idea: use artificial intelligence first to read through all of it, then to put it in plain words. That's how DossierCanada was born.
Alongside the AI recap, I've given people a lexicon that explains the basics of political jargon. Plain-language law exists — think of this as its equivalent for politics!
Parliament glossary
Parliamentary jargon, translated into everyday language.
Account and follows