Liberals introduce bills to close sickness benefit loophole, allow pandemic-friendly court proceedings

After a month-long standoff in Parliament, the Liberal government has introduced a bill that will fix a legal loophole in the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit. Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough (Delta, B.C.) introduced Bill C-24 into the House on Feb. 25. The full title of the bill is An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (additional regular benefits), the Canada Recovery Benefits Act (restriction on eligibility) and another Act in response to COVID-19. That bill would temporarily add 12 weeks to the maximum period for which Canadians can claim employment insurance. It would also fix a loophole in the government’s Canada Recovery Benefits Act that theoretically allows Canadians who travel abroad during the pandemic to claim a $1,000 benefit from the federal government when they return to Canada and quarantine themselves for the mandatory 14-day period. That benefit was created as part of one of the government’s pandemic relief bills, passed in October. It is intended to help Canadian residents who are forced to miss work and lose income while they observe a two-week quarantine. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, N.B.) called the loophole “an accident of law” during a January interview on CBCNN’s Power & Politics program. “It's not meant to be a bonus for some irresponsible trip you took,” he said. He said he did not know how many travellers had successfully taken advantage of that loophole, "but one is too many.” The loophole was identified by a La Presse report at the beginning of January, and since mid-January the Canada Revenue Agency has been asking applicants for the benefit to tick a box if they have been travelling, and putting a hold on applications from those who do. Without a change to the legislation, however, the CRA doesn’t have the legal authority to formally turn them down. The Liberals gave notice of a bill that would have fixed that loophole in late January. It was placed on the House of Commons Order Paper on Jan. 21. However, the government did not introduce that bill into the House, and it has remained on the Order Paper for the past month. The Liberals did attempt to introduce the bill through a motion on Jan. 25 that would have passed it through all the legislative stages in the House of Commons in one go, without any debate. The opposition refused, and MPs on both sides of the House have been needling each other about it since then. The government also introduced Bill C-23 into the House last week. That bill would amend the Criminal Code to provide a legal basis for greater use of technology in the judicial system during the pandemic, including video trial appearances, evidence submission, and jury selection. It would also give authorities more time to fingerprint suspects. The gambling bill is dead; long live the gambling bill! The government’s bill to legalize single-event sports betting, C-13, is dead. It was struck down by the House Speaker Anthony Rota (Nipissing-Timiskaming, Ont.) in a Feb. 18 ruling, and can not proceed any further beyond first reading. Why? Because it was too similar to a private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon-Grasswood, Sask.). Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, left, has sponsored a bill to legalize single event sports gambling. The bill is now before the Justice Committee. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Mr. Waugh’s bill, C-218, had advanced to committee stage by the time the government sought to move its bill forward. Bill C-218 aims to eliminate a clause in the Criminal Code barring betting “on any race or fight, or on a single sport event or athletic contest.” The government bill, C-13, aimed to amend that clause, which may no longer exist if Mr. Waugh’s bill is successful. Scrapping the ban on single event sport betting would allow provincial gaming authorities and casinos to bring in more money that is now being spent across the U.S. border or on illegal gambling websites, said Mr. Waugh. “We’re losing jobs, we’re losing the economy, plus we’re losing the tax base,” he said. Mr. Waugh said he expected his bill would be supported by several sporting and gambling related industries. It was passed at second reading with 303 MPs voting in favour, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), and 15 against. The government’s bill had maintained a ban on single bets for horse racing, while Mr. Waugh’s does not. Mr. Waugh said he wouldn’t oppose amending his bill to match the government’s horse race exemption. He said he was optimistic that the bill would get through the Justice Committee review and third reading in the House by the end of April. He said he has spoken to Senators from the Conservative caucus and Independent Senators Group about sponsoring the bill in the Red Chamber. “I’m happy, but I’m reserved at the same time. We have seen issues in the Senate before,” he said. Several private member’s bills were sidelined and left to die in the Senate in the last Parliament. Mr. Waugh isn't the first MP to try to legalize single event sports gambling. NDP MP Brian Masse (Windsor West, Ont.) and former NDP MP Joe Comartin previously sponsored private members' bills that aimed to do so, but didn't pass through Parliament. Mr. Waugh said he spoke with Mr. Masse before taking up the cause. Assisted dying debate continues The government received another extension from Quebec’s Superior Court last week to pass its bill to change the Criminal Code provisions related to assisted dying, C-7. The current law will now continue to be applied in Quebec until March 26. The House is currently debating its response to the Senate, which amended the bill in five ways, including allowing people suffering from mental illness to access assisted dying within 18 months, and allowing for advance requests for assisted dying. Justice Minister David Lametti has shouldered a heavy load for the Liberal government, sponsoring bills to amend Canada's assisted dying law, and many more. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade The government has proposed accepting the mental illness amendment, but extending the time before it comes into force to two years. It has rejected or altered the other amendments. The Liberals need support from a significant number of MPs outside of their caucus in order to pass a message back to the Senate. Votes on the bill have not been whipped along party lines. The Senate is currently adjourned until March 16, though it can return earlier if the House returns its message on the bill before then. NDP pharmacare bill voted down NDP MP Peter Julian’s (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.) private member’s bill to create a Canada Pharmacare Act was voted down in the House at second reading on Feb. 24. The bill, numbered C-213, would have established a legal framework for a pharmacare transfer payment from the federal government to the provinces, providing they established pharmacare programs that met criteria similar to those in the Canada Health Act, which governs the longstanding federal-provincial health care transfers. The bill matched most of the criteria recommended by the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, struck by the government in 2018 to provide advice on the best pathway to fulfilling the Liberals’ 2019 campaign promise to establish a national pharmacare system. The Liberals opposed the bill on the grounds that the government had not had a legislative framework for pharmacare approved by the provinces that would have to implement it. The Liberals and Conservatives voted against the bill. peter@hilltimes.com @PJMazereeuw Status of government bills House of Commons Senate bills awaiting first reading: S-2—An act to Amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act S-3—An Act to amend the Offshore Health and Safety Act Second reading: C-2—COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act C-11—Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020 C-12—Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act C-13—An Act to amend the Criminal Code (single event sport betting) C-14—Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2020 C-15—United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act C-19—An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (COVID-19 response) C-20—An Act to amend the Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador Additional Fiscal Equalization Offset Payments Act C-21—An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms) C-22—An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act C-23—An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Identification of Criminals Act and to make related amendments to other Acts (COVID-19 response and other measures) C-24—An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (additional regular benefits), the Canada Recovery Benefits Act (restriction on eligibility) and another Act in response to COVID-19 Committee: C-10—An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts C-18—Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement Implementation Act Report stage: C-5—An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) C-6—An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy) C-8—An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s call to action number 94) Consideration of Amendments made by the Senate: C-7—An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) Senate Committee: C-3—An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code

Liberals introduce bills to close sickness benefit loophole, allow pandemic-friendly court proceedings

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