This bill was last introduced in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in September 2008.
This bill was previously introduced in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session.
Réal Ménard Bloc
Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)
Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Oct. 16, 2007
(This bill did not become law.)
This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.
This enactment amends the Canadian Human Rights Act by
(a) adding “social condition” to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination;
(b) declaring the refusal by a financial institution to provide a banking service to an individual by reason only of the individual’s low income to be a discriminatory practice;
(c) requiring the Canadian Human Rights Commission to review every bill introduced in or presented to the House of Commons by a minister of the Crown to ascertain whether any of its provisions are likely to result in a discriminatory practice prohibited by the Canadian Human Rights Act; and
(d) requiring the Canadian Human Rights Commission to submit an annual report to the Minister of Justice on the impact of measures taken by the Government of Canada to reduce poverty in Canada and on the amount of money that should be expended annually to reduce that poverty.
The enactment also amends the Criminal Code to change the criminal interest rate set out in section 347 and to include in the calculation of that interest rate the charges paid by a person to obtain insurance coverage.
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear
We accepted the report, but we have a motion now to accept the report that this is deemed non-votable. There will be no appeal on Bill C-322.
Réal Ménard Bloc Hochelaga, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-322, Antipoverty Act (amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code).
Mr. Speaker, I am introducing this bill, which is made up of four measures: adding “social condition” to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act; establishing a new prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act in cases where financial institutions refuse to provide basic banking services; asking this House to debate poverty for six hours per year; and amending section 347 of the Criminal Code to limit the legal interest rate for lending money in Canada by lowering it from 60% to 35%.
I hope that this bill will be adopted as quickly as possible.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)