Annex 3:
Legislative
Measures
This annex includes a number of measures (other than tax-related measures) that would be implemented through legislation.
| Subject of the Measure | Proposed Legislative Action |
|---|---|
| Cracking Down on Predatory Lending | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Criminal Code to (i) move from an effective annual rate to an annual percentage rate (APR), (ii) lower the criminal interest rate to 35 per cent APR, and (iii) adjust the payday loan exemption to cap interest charged. |
| Canada Health Transfer | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to provide a $2 billion CHT top-up to all provinces and territories to address immediate pressures on the health care system. |
| Strengthening Regulatory Oversight of Natural Health Products View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Food and Drugs Act to extend powers conferred by the Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act (Vanessa's Law) to natural health products. These changes would protect the health of Canadians by enabling regulators to take stronger action when health or safety issues are identified with natural health products on the market. |
| Introducing Reporting Requirements for Employer Provided Dental Coverage |
In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislation to support the implementation of the new Canadian Dental Care Plan, which will provide dental care to uninsured Canadians with family income less than $90,000 annually. The legislation would compel employers and employer pension plans to report dental coverage offered to their employees and plan members through T4/T4A reporting. This requirement would ensure that the new Dental Care Plan is limited to Canadians with an unmet need for dental care who don't have access to private insurance. The legislation would also authorize Health Canada to collect and use the Social Insurance Number of a person who applies under the Dental Care Plan, for purposes of plan administration and enforcement. |
| Canada Growth Fund | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislation and legislative amendments to deliver the Canada Growth Fund, a new arm's-length, public investment vehicle to help attract private capital to build Canada's clean economy. |
| Public Sector Pension Plan Governance | In Budget 2023, as previously announced in Budget 2022, the government proposes to amend the Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act to increase the size of the board of directors of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, and will propose other technical amendments. |
| Clean Fuel Regulations Fund View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to provide the enabling authorities for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada to establish a compliance fund to collect contributions from parties regulated under the Clean Fuel Regulations. |
| Continuing to Support Seasonal EI Claimants View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Employment Insurance Act to extend the rules of a temporary measure that provides up to five additional weeks of Employment Insurance regular benefits to seasonal claimants in 13 regions, until October 2024. |
| Protecting Federally Regulated Gig Workers | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Canada Labour Code to improve job protections for federally regulated gig workers by strengthening prohibitions against employee misclassification. |
| Prohibiting the Use of Replacement Workers | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Canada Labour Code to prohibit the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout in federally regulated sectors and to improve the process to review and certify activities that must be maintained during a strike or lockout. |
| Improving the Recourse Process for Employment Insurance Appeals View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Employment and Social Development Act (and consequential amendments to other Acts) to establish a new independent tripartite Board of Appeal to hear cases where claimants disagree with a Service Canada decision regarding their Employment Insurance claims. |
| Strengthening Data Sharing in Trade Corridors | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to the Canada Transportation Act to provide the Minister of Transport with the authority to compel data sharing by shippers using federally regulated transportation services to improve the efficiency of existing transportation infrastructure. |
| Supporting Rail Competition | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to the Canada Transportation Act to enable a temporary extension, on a pilot basis, of the interswitching limit in the prairie provinces. This would support competition among rail carriers by enabling rail companies to access tracks owned by another rail provider within the limit, under rates regulated by the Canadian Transportation Agency. |
| Canada Innovation Corporation Act View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislation to establish the Canada Innovation Corporation, a new Crown corporation with a mandate to increase Canadian business expenditure on research and development across all sectors and regions of Canada. |
| Amendments to the Patent Act View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to make legislative amendments to the Patent Act. Under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, Canada agreed to provide patent term adjustments as compensation to patent applicants who experience unreasonable delays in the issuance of their patent. The government remains committed to ensuring patents are issued in a timely manner and will continue to support a robust and efficient patent system. |
| Gottfriedson Band Class Settlement | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Income Tax Act to exclude the income of the trust established under the Gottfriedson Band Class Settlement Agreement from taxation. |
| Pregnancy Loss View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Canada Labour Code to create a new paid leave for workers in federally regulated sectors who experience a pregnancy loss. |
| Death or Disappearance of a Child View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Canada Labour Code to improve eligibility for leave related to death or disappearance of a child for workers in federally regulated sectors. |
| Banning Cosmetic Testing on Animals View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Food and Drugs Act to ban cosmetic testing on animals. The proposed amendments would prohibit: testing cosmetics on animals in Canada; selling cosmetics that rely on animal testing data to establish the product's safety, with some exceptions; and false or misleading labelling pertaining to the testing of cosmetics on animals. |
| Citizenship Act Modernization View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Citizenship Act to enable: the electronic administration of the citizenship program; automated and machine-assisted processing; and the collection and use of biometric information. This would allow for faster and more efficient citizenship application processing. |
| Better Protecting Immigration and Citizenship Clients View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Citizenship Act to strengthen the regime governing the profession of immigration and citizenship consultants. These amendments would allow the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants to better function as a public interest regulator, including by implementing a more effective complaints and discipline process, improving overall governance and enhancing protection from unethical or fraudulent representation. |
| Improving Client Service in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to improve application intake in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, resulting in shorter and more predictable processing times, helping sponsors to plan and prepare for the arrival of refugee families. |
| Electronic Submission of Asylum Claims View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to require electronic submission of asylum claims. |
| NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Privileges and Immunities (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Act to grant the standard NATO privileges and immunities to this NATO Centre of Excellence and its personnel. |
| Indefinite Withdrawal of Most-Favoured-Nation Tariff Treatment from Russia and Belarus | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Customs Tariff to indefinitely withdraw eligibility to the Most-Favoured-Nation preferential tariff treatment for Russian and Belarusian imports, resulting in the application of the 35 per cent General Tariff on virtually all imports from these countries. |
| Supporting the Economic Growth of Developing Countries | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Customs Tariff to renew Canada's General Preferential Tariff (GPT) and Least Developed Country Tariff (LDCT) until the end of 2034, as well as update the programs to align with Canada's progressive trade agenda and simplify administrative requirements for Canadian importers. |
| Combatting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and the Criminal Code, with consequential amendments to other statutes, to strengthen Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing framework. |
| Modernizing Financial Sector Oversight to Address Emerging View the impact assessment |
In Budget 2023, the government may propose to amend the Bank Act, the Insurance Companies Act, the Trust and Loan Companies Act, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Act, and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to provide additional tools to protect the integrity and security of federal financial institutions and to address risks of foreign interference. The government may also propose to make technical amendments to the Bank Act, the Insurance Companies Act, the Trust and Loan Companies Act, and the Green Shield Canada Act. The government may also propose to amend the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act to provide expanded authorities to increase deposit insurance and related measures in the event of a market disruption. |
| Special Economic Measures Act | In Budget 2023, the government proposes targeted changes to the Special Economic Measures Act and Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Magnitsky Act) to support the effectiveness of the seizure, forfeiture and disposal framework introduced in 2022 as a means of holding Russia accountable for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The government also proposes to make related amendments to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to require the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre to disclose information to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in certain circumstances. |
| FINTRAC Funding | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Budget Implementation Act 2021, No. 1 to introduce a technical legislative amendment respecting the coming into force of the assessments scheme under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. |
| Traveller Modernization View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Customs Act that will allow the Canada Border Services Agency to transform how low-risk travellers are processed when entering Canada through enhanced use of technology. |
| Strengthening Air Passenger Rights and Data Sharing | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to the Canada Transportation Act to strengthen air passenger rights, and to convert the Canadian Transportation Agency's quasi-judicial adjudication process to a mediation-arbitration process to help deliver more timely resolution of air passenger complaints. The government also proposes amendments to the Act to provide the Minister of Transport with the authority to implement a regulatory charge to enable the Canadian Transportation Agency to recover from airlines the cost of adjudicating passenger complaints, and to require data sharing between air sector operators and the public disclosure of performance data. |
| Timely Sharing of Death Information in Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Department of Employment and Social Development Act to permit a greater number of ESDC programs to access death information from the Social Insurance Register in a timely way, supporting program delivery and integrity. |
| Allowing Use of Canada Revenue Agency-collected Data for Canada Pension Plan Analysis and Evaluation View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to make legislative amendments to the Canada Pension Plan legislation to allow the use of Canada Revenue Agency-collected data by Employment and Social Development Canada when performing policy analysis, reporting, and evaluation functions for the Canada Pension Plan. Access to this data would support the government's commitment to evidence-based policy development and GBA Plus analysis. |
| Equalization and TFF Renewal | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to: renew the authority to make Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing (TFF) payments and make technical changes to improve accuracy and transparency; and make a technical change to the Fiscal Stabilization program. |
| Yukon Act Amendments | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Yukon Act to give the federal Minister responsible for Northern Affairs the same powers with respect to a contaminated site on federal land as the responsible Minister in the Yukon government. |
| International Tax Reform: Sharing Revenues with Provinces and Territories | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislation, including as appropriate, amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and its regulations, to share a portion of revenues with provinces and territories from the OECD-led international tax reform. |
| Modernizing the National Research Council View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to the National Research Council Act, as well as any other consequential, coordinating or transitional amendments as necessary, to provide the National Research Council operational flexibilities that will better ensure it can provide hands-on support to Canada's innovators through timely access to specialized facilities and expertise. |
| Amending the Canada Post Corporation Act View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act to limit Canada Post Corporation's authority to open parcels to instances where the inspection is based on a "reasonable grounds to suspect" standard. This amendment would enable postal inspectors to continue inspecting parcels in a manner that respects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and keep dangerous goods and illicit substances out of the mail. |
| Supporting Procurement of Zero-Emission Vehicles for Federal Fleets View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Revolving Funds Act to increase the drawdown authority under Public Services and Procurement Canada's (PSPC) Optional Services Revolving Fund by $10 million. The government also proposes to add a new business line item to allow PSPC to procure zero-emission vehicles on behalf of client departments and agencies. |
| Amendments to the Service Fees Act View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Service Fees Act to provide greater consistency in how user fees are applied by government departments and institutions and to streamline the administration of fees. |
| Canada Elections Act View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Canada Elections Act to establish a uniform federal approach in respect of federal political parties' collection, use, and disclosure of personal information in a manner that overrides overlapping provincial legislation. |
| Bank of Canada Negative Equity View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to allow the Bank of Canada to temporarily withhold remittances until negative equity associated with the Government of Canada Bond Purchase Program has been restored. |
| A Fairer External Complaints Handling System for Banking | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce targeted legislative measures to strengthen the external complaints handling system for banks and to designate a single, not-for-profit, body corporate to be the sole external complaints body, following a selection process led by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. |
| Corporate Governance: Diversity Disclosure and Virtual Meetings View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce legislative amendments to the Bank Act, Insurance Companies Act, and Trust and Loan Companies Act that will adapt and apply Canada Business Corporations Act diversity disclosure requirements for board directors and senior management at federally regulated financial institutions. The government also proposes to introduce legislative amendments to permit virtual-only meetings and allow for the introduction of conditions ensuring participation. |
| Strengthening the Federal Pension Framework | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985 and the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act to improve retirement security for plan members and retirees through new frameworks for variable payment life annuities and technical housekeeping amendments. |
| Royal Titles | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to amend the Royal Style and Titles Act. |
| Enhancing the Management of Marine Emergencies and Pollution View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Canada Shipping Act to deliver on commitments related to the Oceans Protection Plan, including to enable the proactive management of marine emergencies and to cover more types of pollution, and to the Marine Liability Act to clarify the liability and compensation regime for ship-source incidents. |
| Establishing a Vessel Remediation Fund View the impact assessment | In Budget 2023, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act to establish and fund an owner-financed Vessel Remediation Fund, which would be used to address abandoned and wrecked vessels, to extend certain authorities under the Act, and to clarify other sections of the Act. |
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