Bill C-243 (Historical)

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act

An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy

This bill is from the 42nd Parliament, 1st session, which ended in September 2019.

Sponsor

Mark Gerretsen Liberal

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

Status

Third reading (Senate), as of April 11, 2019
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

The purpose of this enactment is to provide for the development and implementation of a national maternity assistance program strategy to support women who are unable to work due to pregnancy and whose employer is unable to accommodate them by providing reassignment.

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.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-243s:

C-243 (2022) Ending the Use of Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act

C-243 (2020) An Act to amend the Payment Card Networks Act (credit card acceptance fees)

C-243 (2013) Survivor's Annual Allowance Act

C-243 (2011) Survivor's Annual Allowance Act

C-243 (2010) An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (change of title) and another Act in consequence

Votes

June 14, 2017 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy

Oct. 26, 2016 Passed That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy ActRoutine Proceedings

February 26th, 2016 / 12:10 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy and amending the Employment Insurance Act (maternity benefits).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my private member's bill. This bill has two parts to it.

The first part seeks to amend our Employment Insurance Act to provide more flexibility to females who become pregnant and work in hazardous employment conditions.

The second part calls on the government to form a national strategy with respect to maternity assistance that respects the labour market of today and, in particular, a labour market that is more demanding of women to work in employment that may have hazardous conditions.

The bill was inspired a constituent of mine, Melodie Ballard. Melodie is a welder in my community. When she became pregnant, she suffered extreme hardships financially as a result of not having an employment insurance system that could accommodate the fact that she worked in hazardous conditions.

It is a pleasure to present the bill today. I believe the bill would have national impacts and could help with the changing labour markets in Canada.

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