Bill C-277: Call to Action
We need your support to urge Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) to prioritize advancing the National Strategy on Brain Injuries to the Senate without further delay. Below, you’ll find a letter sent on behalf of MP Alistair MacGregor, Cowichan-Malahat-Langford.
Dear Friends,
I am writing to let you know about the status of Bill C-277, An Act to establish a national strategy on brain injuries.
As you likely know, the bill passed Second Reading in the House of Commons with unanimous support back on June 12, 2024. The bill then made its way through Committee Stage at the Standing Committee on Health, and was reported back to the House with minor amendments on October 28th, where it has since been stuck in legislative limbo due to chaotic antics in the House of Commons by Conservative MPs.
Since September 26th, the Conservatives have been holding-up the usual business of the House of Commons with what is called a privilege motion (Question of Privilege), which is preventing Private Members’ Bills from being debated and voted upon. As we inch ever closer to the next general federal election with each passing day, the fate of Bill C-277 hangs in the balance. Had the Conservatives not caused this ongoing legislative backlog in the House, my bill would have received its next round of debate on January 28th. With each passing day these antics are allowed to continue, it gets pushed further into the future. If the log jam were cleared tomorrow, the earliest the bill could receive its next required round of debate would now be March 19th!
So, as you can see, it has been pushed back by nearly two months, and it keeps moving further from becoming a reality with each passing day. This is why I am writing today to ask for your help.
On December 6th after Question Period, I rose in the House to seek unanimous consent from all parties to see the bill deemed concurred in at Report Stage as amended, and deemed read a third time and passed. This would have sent the bill immediately to the Senate to await its next required steps in the legislative journey. However, Conservative party MPs intervened and denied unanimous consent for the bill to move forward, leaving it stuck in the legislative limbo they have created.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and advocacy. It is my sincere hope that, together, we can find a pathway forward to ensure the important measures in Bill C-277 become a reality before the next general election.
Sincerely yours,
Alistair MacGregor, MP
Cowichan-Malahat-Langford
