CRUNCH TIME ON THE HILL

NEW LEGISLATION

MARIE-DANIELLE SMITH OTTAWA • It’s crunch time for Canada’s parliament as lawmakers scramble to push through legislation before heading to their constituencies for a summer break.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have passed few bills relative to previous governments, and in the past year, a more volatile Senate has become five times as likely to amend legislation from the House of Commons.

Still, it’s been busy. Several bills passed last week and will be given royal assent on Monday, becoming laws. And there remains much to do if the government hopes to rise by Friday, the last sitting day currently scheduled before the House is to rise for the summer. easier for workers in federally-regulated environments to unionize.

The Senate tried to amend the law to retain a requirement that unions be formed by secret ballot vote, but the government rejected the amendment, favouring the “card check” system, which requires a simple majority of workers to join by signature. The upper chamber acquiesced.

A standoff between the Senate and House of Commons looms over the Liberals’ second budget.

A contingent of senators, including Conservatives and Senate Liberals, want to make a separate piece of legislation out of the section of the budget bill that would create a federal infrastructure bank. The Senate speaker ruled against the idea, but senators overturned the speaker’s ruling and this week will debate a motion to split the budget.

Other amendments are being discussed, such as removing an escalator on the rate at which alcohol is taxed. But finance minister Bill Morneau has warned he will not entertain changes to the bill.