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.
S-208 — An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)
Every bill summarized in plain language. Not clear enough? Ask for an explanation.
S-208
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)
ISG
In progress
▾
BILL S-208
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)
Last activity : At second reading in the Senate
ISG
In progress
Senate · 1st2025-05-27Senate · 2ndSenate · 3rdCommons · 1stCommons · 2ndCommons · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Lets judges depart from mandatory minimum sentences set out in law, leaving the choice of punishment to the sentencing court.
- Requires a court to weigh every other available option before imposing a minimum prison term or period of parole ineligibility.
- Requires the court to find that no just and reasonable alternative exists before imposing such a minimum.
- Obliges judges to give written reasons whenever they impose a minimum prison term or period of parole ineligibility.
- Removes the need for the Attorney General's consent to delay sentencing so a convicted person can attend a treatment or counselling program.
- Allows the court to pick whatever treatment or counselling program it considers appropriate, instead of only provincially approved programs.
- Extends to first degree murder the question put to juries about how many years should be served before parole eligibility, referencing the 25-year or 10-year benchmarks.
- Sets out a preamble stating that sentences must be proportionate and citing concerns about over-incarceration of Indigenous Peoples, criminalized women who have faced violence, and people with mental disabilities.
🤖 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