The 2025 Budget Implementation Act, also known as Bill C-15, passed Thursday. But as non-budgetary riders become more common in budgetary bills, a Senate report warned that it could hamper Parliament’s ability to properly scrutinize proposed laws.
Budget bills have grown longer since the 1990s. The 1994 bill was just 24 pages, but it grew to an average of 305 pages between 2006 and 2015, exceeding 600 pages in the last two years.
The bloat comes mainly from non-budgetary items. For example, the 2018 budget bill included Criminal Code amendments, and the 2025 budget bill had 44 non-financial measures, including the High-Speed Rail Network Act.
“This practice limits both parliamentary scrutiny and public debate on measures that would normally be considered through separate legislation,” the Senate report said.
Twice-a-year budget bills have unique time pressures as they’re essential to fund the parliamentary financial cycle. Winter and summer adjournment periods often closely follow these bills, further compressing the legislative calendar.
The report recommended that the Senate request the government to present two budget bills, one for financial measures and another for non-financial measures. This would ensure budgetary measures pass in a timely manner while offering more time to consider other items.
The Senate could also request that the government appoint the Representative of the Government in the Senate into the cabinet, as was the case before 2015. The report noted this would allow the representative to encourage clear cut-off dates for bills and coordinate legislative timelines between the House and the Senate.
Still, the Senate retains the authority to split bills up when it sees fit. For example, the Senate split Bill C-10 in 2002 (which included changes to the Criminal Code and Firearms Act) into two separate bills, with the House agreeing with the split.