Bill C-223 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (gratuities)

This bill was last introduced in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in August 2015.

This bill was previously introduced in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session.

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 June 15, 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

June 15th, 2011 / 3:25 p.m.
See context

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-223, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (gratuities).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to re-introduce this bill which, if passed, will improve the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Canadians with respect to the employment insurance regime.

When restaurant servers apply for EI, their tips are not taken into account in the calculation of the EI payments even though they are included when they pay taxes. So they cannot collect EI on them.

This bill would make it mandatory for servers to claim their tips as income and that EI calculations be based on that total income. This is important because the custom in the restaurant industry is for servers to have low wages on top of which they receive tips. This change would give servers the economic security and equal footing that they deserve by removing the unfair and discriminatory economic disadvantage they face if they lose their jobs.

I would again like to extend my congratulations and thanks to Caitlin Rooney, a constituent of mine from the riding of Halifax who brought this issue to my attention. I would like to thank the member for Berthier—Maskinongé for seconding this bill, as I know she is a passionate advocate for the rights of workers who rely on tips to make ends meet.

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