thumb|[[Paul Martin was Prime Minister during the 38th Canadian Parliament.]]
The 38th Canadian Parliament was in session from October 4, 2004, until November 29, 2005. The membership was set by the 2004 federal election on June 28, 2004, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections, but due to the seat distribution, those few changes significantly affected the distribution of power. It was dissolved prior to the 2006 election.
There was one session of the 38th Parliament:
{| class="wikitable"
!Session
!Start
!End
|-
| 1st
| October 4, 2004
| November 29, 2005
|}
Overview
The 38th Canadian Parliament was controlled by a Liberal Party minority under Prime Minister Paul Martin and the 27th Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the Conservative Party, led by Stephen Harper.
The Speaker was Peter Milliken. See also List of Canadian federal electoral districts for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
Party standings
The party standings as of the election and as of dissolution were as follows:
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|-
!colspan=2 rowspan=2|Affiliation
!colspan=2|House members
!colspan=2|Senate members
|-
!2004 election<br/>results
!At dissolution
!On election<br />day 2004
!At dissolution
|135
|133
|64
|67
|99
|98
|25
|23
|54
|53
|0
|0
|19
|18
|0
|1
|1
|4
|4
|5
|0
|0
|3
|5
|-
|colspan=2|Total members
|308
|306
|96
|101
|0
|2
|9
|4
|-
|colspan=2|Total seats
|colspan=2|308
|colspan=2|105
|}
Major events
The parliament was dissolved following a vote of non-confidence passed on 28 November by the opposition Conservatives, supported by the New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois. Consequently, a federal election was held on 23 January 2006 to choose the next parliament.
Legislation and motions
Important bills of the 38th parliament included:
- Bill C-32 – the Department of Foreign Affairs Act to split DFAIT in two departments, was a surprise defeat for the government
- Bill C-38 – the Civil Marriage Act, legalized Same-sex marriage across Canada.
- Bill C-43 – the Canadian federal budget, 2005
- Bill C-48 – an NDP add-on to the 2005 budget
Complete list of bills
Parliamentarians
House of Commons
Senate
Ministry
The 27th Canadian Ministry was formed during the 37th Canadian Parliament and lasted for the entirety of the 28th Parliament.
Officeholders
House of Commons
{| class="wikitable"
!Office
! colspan="2" |Member
!Party
!Riding
|-
|Prime Minister of Canada
| colspan="2" |Rt. Hon. Paul Martin
|Liberal
|LaSalle—Émard
|-
|Speaker of the House of Commons
| colspan="2" |Hon. Peter Milliken
|Liberal
|Kingston and the Islands
|-
|Government House Leader
| colspan="2" |Hon. Tony Valeri
|Liberal
|
|-
|Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole
| colspan="2" |Hon Chuck Strahl
|Conservative
|Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon
|-
|Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole
| colspan="2" |Marcel Proulx
|Liberal
|Hull—Aylmer
|-
|Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole
| colspan="2" |Jean Augustine
|Liberal
|Etobicoke—Lakeshore
|-
|Chief Government Whip
| colspan="2" |Hon. Karen Redman
|Liberal
|Kitchener Centre
|-
!Office
! colspan="2" |Member
!Party
!Riding
|-
|Leader of the Opposition
| colspan="2" |Hon. Stephen Harper
|Conservative
|Calgary West
|-
| rowspan="2" |Opposition House Leader
| - January 27, 2005
|Hon. John Douglas Reynolds
|Conservative
|West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast
|-
|January 30, 2005 -
|Jay D. Hill
|Liberal
|Alberta
|-
|Speaker Pro Tempore
|Hon. Shirley Maheu
|Liberal
|Quebec
|-
|Leader of the Government in the Senate
|Hon. Jacob Austin
|Liberal
|British Columbia
|-
|Government Whip
|Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool
|Liberal
|New Brunswick
|-
!Office
!Member
!Party
!Province
|-
|Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
|Hon. Noël Kinsella
|Conservative
|New Brunswick
|-
|Opposition Whip
|Hon. Marjory LeBreton