Sample Bill - Youth Electors Act
____ Session, ____ Parliament
Elizabeth II, 200_
The House of Commons of Canada
BILL C-0_
This is an Act that changes the way MPs are elected to the House of Commons
The Queen, through the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, makes the following Act:
SHORT TITLE
This Act may be known as the Youth Electors Act.
INTERPRETATION
1. These definitions apply to this Act
"educational institution" means a primary or secondary (high) school
"election" means an election of an MP to serve in the House of Commons.
"elector" means a person who is qualified as an elector under section 3
"list of electors" means the list showing the family name, given names and address of every elector
"MP" means a Member of the House of Commons
"polling day" means the date of voting in an election
"polling station" means the place where electors cast their votes
ELIGIBILITY
2. The Chief Electoral Officer requires certain types of identification to prove that a person is who they say they are, and that they are allowed to vote at a certain polling station. Anybody with this type of identification has given proof.
If a school takes an elector to a polling station, somebody from the school may prove that an elector is who they say they are.
ELECTORAL RIGHTS
3. Every person who is a Canadian citizen and is 14 years of age or older on polling day is allowed to vote.
Everybody who qualifies as an elector is entitled to have their name included in the list of electors where they live, and to vote at a polling station there.
The following persons are not entitled to vote at an election:
(a) anybody young enough to have to be in school who is not attending school; and
(b) anybody in prison and serving a sentence of two years or more.
PROHIBITION
4. No person may:
(a) vote or attempt to vote at an election if they know that they are not qualified;
(b) try to make another person vote at an election if they know that the other person is not qualified as an elector or not entitled to vote; or
(c) talk to people waiting to vote and try to get them to change their vote.
Once an elector has voted at an election, he or she may not ask for another ballot at that election.
RESIDENCE
5. The place of ordinary residence of a person is the place that has always been his or her dwelling place, or the place where the person has chosen to live; that is, the place the person thinks of as "home" when away from it.
If a person usually sleeps in one place but eats or spends most of their waking time somewhere else, their place of ordinary residence is where they sleep.
Temporary residential quarters are considered to be a person's place of ordinary residence only if the person has no other place that they consider to be their residence.
Some people without a dwelling place may go to a shelter, hostel or similar institution for food, lodging or other social services. That place is considered that person's place of ordinary residence.
POLLING STATIONS
6. Polling stations are to be open on Election Day for at least twelve (12) hours, beginning no later than 9:00 a.m. local time, and ending no earlier than 7:00 p.m. local time.
On Election Day, workplaces and schools must close two hours earlier than usual so that employees and students will have enough time to vote.
On days when polling stations must open before sunrise and close after sunset, some schools may take students to vote. If they do, they are not required to close early.
IN FORCE
7. This Act shall come into force three months after it receives Royal Assent.
Sample Bill - National Essential Services Act
____ Session, ____ Parliament
Elizabeth II, 200_
The House of Commons of Canada
BILL C-0_
This is an Act to make sure that Canadians have essential services
The Queen, through the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, makes the following Act:
SHORT TITLE
This Act may be known as the National Essential Services Act.
INTERPRETATION
1. These definitions apply to this Act.
"essential service" is any service provided to all citizens under any law passed by the House of Commons
"Minister" is the Minister of Labour
"remote area" means an area of Canada that does not have a local police force or has fewer than 10 physicians per 10,000 population
"young person" means a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, between the ages of 19 and 29, living in Canada
PURPOSE OF ACT
2. The purpose of this Act is to protect the health and welfare of Canadians by providing:
(a) a reliable supply of non-professional labour for medical and protection services throughout Canada, especially in areas without enough professional help; and
(b) a chance for young people to get work experience while learning how essential services work.
HER MAJESTY
3. The Queen will accept this Act as law.
GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES
4. The House of Commons wants all Canadians to have essential services.
This law creates a Job Corps, responsible to the Minister. Every young person in Canada will participate in the Job Corps.
Every person serving in the Job Corps will spend two (2) weeks per year working in an essential service.
A person begins serving in the Job Corps after turning 19. He or she works for two (2) weeks per year for each of the next ten (10) years.
Three months before a birthday, a person can tell the local Job Corps office that he or she wants to spend his or her two (2) weeks that year doing a certain type of work. The office will try to satisfy the request.
If the person does not make a choice, the Job Corps office will tell him or her how to spend the two (2) weeks of service.
A young person will usually work for the Job Corps near home, but can choose to go to an area that may not have enough young people to help.
If there is sickness in the family, or if a family is going through hard times, the Minister may excuse a young person from service in the Job Corps.
Employers must allow people to serve in the Job Corps. They may not penalize people in any way, whether it is by paying them less, making them work extra hours, or keeping them from getting a better job.
IN FORCE
5. This Act will go into effect three months after it receives Royal Assent.
Sample Bill - Gasoline Preservation Act
____ Session, ____ Parliament
Elizabeth II, 200_
The Senate of Canada
BILL S-0_
This is an Act that cuts down on the use of private motor vehicles in Canada
The Queen, through the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, makes the following Act:
INTERPRETATION
1. These definitions apply to this Act.
"commercial vehicle" means a motor-powered vehicle owned and operated by a business that has paid for a commercial licence plate
"day" means the 24 hours beginning and ending at midnight
"even days" are all even-numbered days
"odd days" are odd-numbered days, except January 31, March 31, May 31, July 31, August 31, October 31 and December 31
"private vehicle" means a motor-powered vehicle that is used mainly for personal use
PURPOSES OF ACT
2. The purposes of this Act are:
(a) to reduce exhaust from vehicles, so that we may help reduce the greenhouse gases that are thought to be damaging the earth's atmosphere;
(b) to keep Canada from running out of oil and gas;
(c) to make it unnecessary for us to import so much gas and oil from other countries; and
(d) to help motor vehicles last longer, so that we do not have to use as much land for getting rid of scrap metal.
HER MAJESTY
3. The Queen will accept this Act as law.
GUIDELINES
4. This House wants to preserve and protect the environment everywhere in Canada. One way to do this is to cut down on the use of private cars, trucks and other motor-powered vehicles. Under this Act, private motor vehicles registered in Canada may not be driven every day.
(a) If the last number of a licence plate is an odd number - that is, 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 - the vehicle may be driven only on odd days of the month.
(b) If the last number of a licence plate is an even number - that is, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 0 - the vehicle may be driven only on even days of the month.
(c) Some vehicles have licence plates with letters only. For those, licence plates ending with the letters from "A" to "M" can be driven on odd days only; licence plates ending with the letters from "N" to "Z" can be driven on even days only.
(d) People may drive on any day, but the licence plate of the vehicle must be legal for the day.
EXEMPTIONS
5. The following exceptions shall be allowed:
(a) This Act does not apply to commercial vehicles that have commercial licence plates.
(b) This Act does not apply to vehicles used for agriculture, as long as they have commercial licence plates.
(c) This Act does not apply to public service vehicles or emergency vehicles.
(d) Provinces and territories may make exceptions to this law (where there are concerns over health, for example).
(e) This Act does not apply to vehicles registered outside Canada. They may be driven on all days for three months. Permits for this purpose will be issued at the border when they enter the country.
IN FORCE
6. This Act shall come into force on the first of January following Royal Assent.