BILL NO. 65

(as introduced)

3rd Session, 62nd General Assembly
Nova Scotia
65 Elizabeth II, 2016

Private Member's Bill

Democratic Renewal Act

The Honourable Sterling Belliveau
Queens–Shelburne

First Reading: November 4, 2016

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Democratic Renewal Act.

2 In this Act, "commission" means the democratic renewal commission appointed pursuant to Section 3.

3 No later than December 31, 2016, and every 10 years thereafter, a democratic renewal commission must be appointed and issued terms of reference by a select committee of the Assembly constituted to appoint the members of the commission.

4 The commission shall prepare, for approval by the Assembly, a report respecting means of promoting democratic renewal.

5 The terms of reference of the commission must provide that the commission

(a) is broadly representative of the population of the Province;

(b) consider means of promoting democratic renewal, which must include consideration of alternatives to the existing system of voting for members of the Assembly, including proportional representation, mixed-member proportional representation, single transferable balloting, multiple-member constituencies, or combinations thereof;

(c) consider appropriate consequential changes to elections legislation to implement any alternative to the existing system of voting the commission recommends;

(d) prepare a preliminary report and hold public hearings prior to preparing the preliminary report;

(e) following the preparation of the preliminary report, hold further public hearings prior to completing its report; and

(f) complete its report within one year of its appointment.

6 (1) Where the Assembly is sitting when report respecting means of promoting democratic renewal is completed, the Premier, or the Premier's designate, shall table the report in the Assembly.

(2) Where the Assembly is not sitting when the report is completed, the report must be filed with the Clerk of the Assembly and the Premier, or the Premier's designate, shall table the report in the Assembly within 10 days after the Assembly next sits.

(3) Within 10 sitting days after the report is tabled in the Assembly pursuant to subsection (1) or (2), the Government of the Province shall introduce legislation to implement the recommendations contained in the report.