I have also continued the practice of coordinating work between the House of Commons and the Senate. This is achieved by working closely with the Leader of the Government in the Senate and balancing the workload in both Houses by introducing some bills in the Senate as well as in the House of Commons. Just as so many other things, drafting bills has changed dramatically since the first days of Confederation. After the War, with the growing demand for government legislation, the Department of Justice assumed responsibility for drafting government bills, and in the 1970s, the Privy Council Office assumed responsibility for coordinating the public service work and supporting the work of the Government House Leader. Spending proposals are scrutinized against departmental performance reports.
Committees provide forums for in-depth study of challenges facing our country.
Twice a year, usually in the Spring and in December, other Ministers are asked to provide me with a list of all the bills which they intend to table during the session. This rolling agenda allows us to incorporate new and changing priorities. This long-term approach to planning also allows drafting tasks to be spread out over the entire year and reduces the instances of peak periods where many, many priority bills must all be drafted at the same time. Obviously, the date by which the bill can be drafted and ready for introduction is central to this planning process - even though an initiative may be a very high priority for the Government, if the bill is very long and complex and will take a great deal of time to draft, or if policy development has not been completed, it may not be possible to introduce the bill as quickly as we would like. I bring my plans to this Committee usually two or three times a year, following which I also present the business plan to full Cabinet.