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Bill C-71

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RECOMMENDATION

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''.

SUMMARY

PART 1

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.

It also makes minor amendments of a technical or housekeeping nature.

PART 2

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.

PART 3

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.

PART 4

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.

PART 5

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.

PART 6

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.

PART 7

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.

PART 8

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.

PART 9

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.

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.

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.