How a Federal Bill Becomes Law, and Where the 45th Parliament's Bills Stand
A federal bill's status line on LEGISinfo can read like jargon: "At consideration in committee in the Senate," "Outside the Order of Precedence," "Introduced as pro forma bill." Each phrase marks a specific point in a process set by the Constitution and the rules of both chambers. This guide walks through that process in order, then uses our copy of the record to show where the bills of the current Parliament actually are.
Who can introduce a bill
Most federal bills start in the House of Commons and are numbered C-something. Bills that start in the Senate are numbered S-something. In the Commons, government bills are introduced by ministers and take the low numbers (C-2, C-3 and so on). Private members' bills come from MPs who are not ministers and are numbered from C-201 upward. Bills that raise taxes or spend public money must start in the Commons, and bills that spend money need a royal recommendation, which in practice only the government can obtain.
The stages in the House of Commons
- First reading. The bill is tabled and printed. There is no debate and no vote on its merits. It simply becomes public.
- Second reading. Members debate the principle of the bill: should Parliament do this at all? If the vote passes, the bill is referred to a committee.
- Committee stage. A standing or legislative committee studies the bill clause by clause, hears witnesses and can amend it. This is usually where the most detailed scrutiny happens.
- Report stage. The committee reports the bill back to the whole House. Members can propose further amendments, including to clauses the committee changed.
- Third reading. A final debate and vote on the bill as amended. If it passes, the bill is sent to the Senate.
The Senate, then royal assent
The Senate repeats a similar sequence: first reading, second reading, committee study and third reading. If the Senate amends a bill, the amendments go back to the Commons, and the two chambers exchange messages until they agree on the same text. A bill cannot become law until both chambers have passed it in identical form.
Royal assent is the final step. The Governor General, or a deputy, grants assent, and the bill becomes an Act of Parliament. Royal assent is not always the date the law takes effect. Many Acts, or parts of them, come into force later, on a date named in the Act or set by the government through an order in council.
Two status lines that confuse people
"Introduced as pro forma bill." At the start of every session the Commons introduces a bill numbered C-1 and the Senate a bill numbered S-1 before the Speech from the Throne is considered. They are not meant to pass. They assert each chamber's right to set its own agenda, independent of the Crown. We list them for completeness, but there is nothing to follow.
"Outside the Order of Precedence." The Commons has limited time for private members' business. At the start of a Parliament, a random draw sets the order in which MPs get to bring items forward, and only items on the Order of Precedence can be debated and voted on. A private member's bill outside that list is on the books but cannot move until its sponsor's turn comes and they place it on the Order of Precedence. Most private members' bills never pass, and many are introduced mainly to put an issue on the record.
Where the 45th Parliament's bills stand
The 45th Parliament first sat in May 2025. As of September 2026, our database holds 185 federal bills introduced in it. Here is where they stand, using the status recorded in LEGISinfo:
| Status | Bills |
|---|---|
| Outside the Order of Precedence (private members' bills waiting their turn) | 49 |
| At second reading in the House of Commons | 30 |
| Royal assent received | 29 |
| At committee in the House of Commons | 19 |
| At committee in the Senate | 17 |
| At second reading in the Senate | 14 |
| Defeated | 10 |
| At report stage in the House of Commons | 5 |
| Senate bill awaiting first reading in the House of Commons | 5 |
| At third reading in the House of Commons | 2 |
| House bill awaiting first reading in the Senate | 2 |
| Introduced as pro forma bill (C-1 and S-1) | 2 |
| At third reading in the Senate | 1 |
A few things stand out. Only about one in six bills (29 of 185) has become law so far, which is normal for the middle of a session: omnibus budget bills and other government priorities move first, and most private members' bills move slowly or not at all. More bills are waiting outside the Order of Precedence than have received royal assent. Senate committee work is a real bottleneck: 17 bills sit in Senate committees, nearly as many as in Commons committees.
These counts will change. The legislation pages update as LEGISinfo does, and figures in this article are a September 2026 snapshot.
What happens when Parliament is prorogued or dissolved
Bills do not carry over automatically. When a session ends by prorogation, every bill that has not received royal assent dies on the Order Paper. The House's rules bring private members' business back automatically at the stage it had reached, and the House can agree to reinstate government bills the same way. When Parliament is dissolved for an election, all unfinished bills die and must be reintroduced from scratch in the new Parliament. That is why the same idea can appear under different bill numbers across several Parliaments.
Following a bill on Integrity Index
Every bill on our legislation pages shows its reading stages with dates, its sponsor, and the recorded divisions held on it, with each member's vote. Where a division exists, you can see which parties voted which way and follow the link to any member's profile. Bills that have only a title and no substantive summary yet are kept out of search results until the summary arrives, so there are no empty pages to land on.
For how those divisions work and what a voting record can tell you, see our companion article, How to Read a Voting Record.