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S-221 — An Act to provide for the recognition of the Canada jay as the national bird of Canada
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S-221
An Act to provide for the recognition of the Canada jay as the national bird of Canada
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In progress
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BILL S-221
An Act to provide for the recognition of the Canada jay as the national bird of Canada
Last activity : Senate bill awaiting first reading in the House of Commons
C
In progress
Senate · 1st2025-05-27Senate · 2nd2025-06-19Senate · 3rd2026-06-11Commons · 1stCommons · 2ndCommons · 3rdRoyal assent
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What it does, in plain language
- Officially recognizes the Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) as Canada's national bird.
- Gives the legislation the short title "National Bird of Canada Act".
- Fills a gap noted in the preamble: Canada has no official bird, unlike every province and territory and more than 100 countries.
- Points to the bird's year-round presence, its ability to thrive in very cold conditions, and its breeding range across all ten provinces and three territories.
- Notes the bird's long ties to Canada's First Peoples, including the Cree name wîskicahk, likely the origin of the common English name "whiskey jack".
- Highlights that the species is not endangered, hunted or considered a nuisance, and is not already an official emblem of any country, province, territory or state.
- Keeps the change purely symbolic: the bill has just two clauses and creates no programs, spending or obligations.
- Introduced in the Senate at first reading on May 28, 2025, sponsored by Senator Ataullahjan.
🤖 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.
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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".
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Recorded vote
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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.
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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.
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