An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (gratuities)

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

Sponsor

Megan Leslie  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

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 March 25, 2011
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment requires the Minister of National Revenue to amend the Insurable Earnings and Collection of Premiums Regulations to provide that gratuities received by an insured person are included in their earnings from insurable employment for the purpose of calculating their employment insurance premiums.

Elsewhere

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.

Employment Insurance ActRoutine Proceedings

March 25th, 2011 / 12:50 p.m.
See context

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-645, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (gratuities).

Mr. Speaker, it may seem a bit futile to introduce private members' bills on a day like today, but after working so hard with the community to get this done, it is definitely worth putting on the record.

I am very pleased to present a bill that aims to rectify a gap in our employment insurance regime. Currently, EI payments for qualifying restaurant servers are not calculated so that the servers' tips are taken into account, even though they are included when they pay taxes. That means that the EI payments servers receive are not based on their actual income but on their wages, which are very often low, as is a custom in the restaurant industry. This leaves servers at a significant economic disadvantage when they lose their jobs. It is unfair and discriminatory.

This bill would make it mandatory for servers to claim their tips as income and that EI calculations be based on that total amount. It would give servers the economic security and equal footing that they deserve.

I would like to extend my thanks to a constituent of mine, Caitlin Rooney, who brought this to my attention and for her help in the development of this bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)