Bill C-71
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RECOMMENDATION |
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His Excellency the Governor General recommends to the House of
Commons the appropriation of public revenue under the circumstances,
in the manner and for the purposes set out in a measure entitled ``An Act
to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on
February 16, 1999''.
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SUMMARY |
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PART 1 |
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Part 1 amends the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to
implement an $11.5 billion increase in the Canada Health and Social
Transfer for the purpose of health care. The funds will be distributed to
the provinces on a per capita basis. The Minister is authorized to pay
$3.5 billion of these funds into a trust from which they will be
distributed over the three-year period beginning on April 1, 1999. The
other $8 billion will be distributed over the four-year period beginning
on April 1, 2000. It also amends the Act to completely eliminate per
capita disparities of the existing Canada Health and Social Transfer by
the end of March 2002.
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It also makes minor amendments of a technical or housekeeping
nature.
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PART 2 |
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Part 2 alters the benefit formula contained in the public sector
pension plans covering the Public Service, the Canadian Forces and the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There is a change to the average
annual salary used for the calculation of pensions to base it on a retired
plan member's best five-year average salary instead of using a six-year
average. As well, the three plans are harmonized with the Canada
Pension Plan to take into account recent reforms in that Plan.
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PART 3 |
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Part 3 extends until June 20, 2001 the suspension of binding
arbitration in relation to collective bargaining between the Treasury
Board, as well as separate employers designated by order of the
Governor in Council, and the bargaining agents representing Public
Service employees.
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PART 4 |
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Part 4 amends the Financial Administration Act to enhance the
effectiveness of debt and risk management. The amendments
modernize the federal government's debt and risk management
capability and clarify its borrowing authority and its authority for
setting the terms of issuance of federal government securities. It also
repeals the Borrowing Authority Act, 1996-97 and provides a new
borrowing authority of $4 billion, the amount that remained
unborrowed under that Act.
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PART 5 |
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Part 5 enables the Sliammon First Nation to impose a 7%
value-added tax on all sales of fuel and tobacco products on the
Sliammon First Nation's reserves. It also amends Part IV (Westbank
First Nation Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco) of the Budget
Implementation Act, 1997 to enable the Westbank First Nation to
impose a similar tax on fuel. Finally, the Yukon First Nations
Self-Government Act is amended to provide for a refund of tax paid
under Part IX of the Excise Tax Act to self-governing Yukon First
Nations under certain circumstances.
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PART 6 |
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Part 6 increases the maximum National Child Benefit by $180 per
child effective July 1, 1999 and by a further $170 per child effective July
1, 2000. As of July 1, 2000 the maximum Canada Child Tax Benefit will
be $1,975 for the first child, and $1,775 for each subsequent child. It
also enriches the base benefit under the Canada Child Tax Benefit by
increasing the income threshold at which the benefit begins to be
phased out to $29,590 from its current level of $25,921, effective July
1, 2000.
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PART 7 |
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Part 7 extends the full Goods and Services Tax Credit single
supplement to eligible individuals who have one or more qualified
dependants and whose income does not exceed $25,921.
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PART 8 |
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Part 8 authorizes Revenue Canada to share taxpayer information for
the purposes of the administration and enforcement of a law of a
province governing workers' compensation benefits.
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PART 9 |
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Part 9 amends the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act for the
purpose of providing a guarantee to a lender that is not conditional on
the actions of an administrator under that Act for money an
administrator has borrowed from the lender to pay advances to eligible
producers.
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It amends the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Agreement Act to authorize the Minister of Finance to purchase
Canada's quota in the first supplementary subscription of shares in the
capital stock of the European Bank.
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It amends the Patent Act to clarify that agreements referred to in
section 103 of that Act may be in respect of amounts received under an
undertaking as well as under an order, and that the amounts may be paid
out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
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