House suspends after bill that recognizes Canadian artists fails to get a sponsor

OTTAWA –

The House of Commons took an unplanned break this morning after no member of Parliament came forward to sponsor the legislation it was set to debate.

The House was scheduled to tackle a bill that would recognize the critical role artists and the arts play in every dimension of Canadian life.

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Manitoba Sen. Patricia Bovey, and it was supposed to be sponsored in the House of Commons by Liberal MP Jim Carr.

But Carr died in December and no MP had been found to take his place on the legislation before it came up on the House schedule this morning.

Speaker Anthony Rota was forced to suspend the proceedings for an hour until MPs were ready to take up the next item on the agenda.

A spokesperson for government House leader Mark Holland says it’s up to MPs themselves to come forward to sponsor a non-government bill, and the government has no role in determining who sponsors them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.