On June 12 2024, the House of Commons voted unanimously in favour of Bill C-277, An Act to establish a national strategy on brain injuries.
This was an incredible moment for the brain injury community as brain injury has never had this level of focus in the House of Commons. But the work is just getting started and we have a few more big hurdles before this becomes law.
Where we are now
The bill has now been referred to the Standing Committee on Health.
What’s next
The government follows a process to ensure bills are researched, scrutinized and amended, therefore there a few stages it will now need to follow.
Committee Stage – This is where we are now.
- The bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Health.
- The committee examines the bill in detail, holds hearings, and may invite witnesses.
- The committee may propose amendments to the bill. Amendments are debated and voted on by the committee members.
- The committee reports the bill back to the House of Commons with or without amendments.
Report Stage
- The House considers the committee’s report and any further amendments.
- MPs debate and vote on the committee’s amendments and any additional amendments proposed at this stage.
Third Reading
- There is a final debate on the bill in the House of Commons, considering its overall content and any amendments made at the Health Committee or during Report Stage in the House.
- A vote is then held on whether to pass the bill in its final form in the House. This step will be instrumental! We will need your help to amplify support for the bill when approaching this stage.
Senate
- The bill is sent to the Senate, and goes through similar stages (First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage, Third Reading)
- The Senate may also amend the bill, in which case, a message gets sent back to the House of Commons for the consideration of MPs. Further debate can then potentially occur before its passage.
Royal Assent
- Following the bill’s completion of these stages, it is sent to the Governor General for royal assent.
- Once royal assent is given, the bill becomes law and is referred to as an Act of Parliament.
- The government then has one year to prepare a report setting out the strategy, and table the report before Parliament.
- Following this, the Minister of Health then must produce and table a report every five years, evaluating the effectiveness of the Strategy, offering conclusions and proposing possible recommendations to improve its effectiveness, to-date.
If an election is called, all bills that have not been passed die on the order paper. This means they are removed from the agenda of Parliament and must be re-introduced in the new session of Parliament after an election. Unless an election is called early, Canada will have a federal election in October 2025.
So this means we have to work fast—and we need the help of everyone.
How can I help?
The House of Commons and Committee have risen for the summer period and will resume in September 2024.
Our goal is to impress upon the Standing Committee on Health the demonstrably strong cross-Canadian support for a National Strategy, through letters and written briefs from individuals and organizations. This is an important and long-overlooked need on behalf of Canadians living with brain injury and this is our chance to make ourselves heard.
You can help by submitting a letter or brief sharing your perspective of why a national strategy is needed and how it will improve the lives of individuals and families living with the effects of brain injury.
Should I submit a letter or a brief?
If you want to share your perspective as an individual with a brain injury, a caregiver or a friend/family member, you can send a letter
If you are speaking on behalf of an organization, you should send a brief. Staff who work for organizations that support individuals and families living with brain injury can also submit a letter sharing their experience and support for a strategy.
Select the category below that best reflects your situation to find our more information.
Brain Injury Canada has partnered with the CGB Centre for Traumatic Life Losses; the BC Brain Injury Association; and the Cowichan Brain Injury Society to advocate and build support for Bill C-277.
