C-316Court Challenges Program Act
An Act to amend the Department of Canadian Heritage Act (Court Challenges Program)
Private member's bill, introduced in the House of Commons on March 6, 2023
- Status
- At report stage in the House of Commons since June 13, 2024
What it does
The bill would require the Minister of Canadian Heritage to maintain the Court Challenges Program and set reporting rules for it.
What it does
- Requires the Minister of Canadian Heritage to establish and run the Court Challenges Program, through an independent organisation that funds test cases of national importance.
- Limits the program’s purpose to cases that seek to clarify and assert constitutional and quasi-constitutional official language rights and Charter human rights.
- Requires the program’s administrator to file a yearly report on its work, funding, outreach, goals, and financial performance, plus the number of funding requests denied for each of the program’s two parts.
- Requires the minister to table that annual report in each House of Parliament within the first 15 sitting days after receiving it.
Who it affects
- Minister of Canadian Heritage
- Court Challenges Program administrator
- People bringing rights test cases
- Official language minority communities
- People asserting Charter rights
Background
The bill amends the Department of Canadian Heritage Act. It refers to a program administered by an organisation independent of the Government of Canada and linked to the Official Languages Act.
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Current stage. Now here
Third reading
Not reached.
Senate
First reading
Not reached.
Second reading
Not reached.
Committee
Not reached.
Third reading
Not reached.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Not reached.
Introduced by an MP who is not a minister. These bills compete in a lottery for debate time, and most do not become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
2nd reading of Bill C-316, An Act to amend the Department of Canadian Heritage Act (Court Challenges Program)
Vote 451,
Passed
206 yeato111 nay · 12 paired
Party breakdown for vote 451 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Yea 151 0 7 Conservative Nay 0 110 7 Bloc Yea 29 0 3 NDP Yea 23 0 2 Green Yea 2 0 0 Independent Split evenly 1 1 1 Total 206 111
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalRon McKinnon· May 3, 2023
“I introduced Bill C-316 to build upon the good work of previous Parliaments. In the 42nd Parliament, at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, of which I was then a member, as part of our study on access to justice we recommended that the court challenges program, which had previously been cancelled, be recommenced.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeRachael Thomas· May 3, 2023
“Nevertheless, the bill itself is deserving of our attention today. We have to look at the history to fully understand it.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocAndréanne Larouche· May 3, 2023
“The Bloc Québécois supports this bill in principle. We would like to look at Bill C‑316 in committee and make recommendations.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPHeather McPherson· May 3, 2023
“Today we are talking about Bill C-316, an act to amend the Department of Canadian Heritage Act regarding the court challenges program.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: At report stage in the House of Commons. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.