It is a bit difficult to answer your question because this was really a technical amendment. We had this rule in the past. Anybody could go to a bank branch in order to cash a cheque, even if this were not the individual's own branch. At one point, some people interpreted this rule to mean that the banks did not have to cash cheques free of charge in the client's branch.
The legislation was amended to counter this argument. The intention has always been that Canadians should be able to cash these cheques free of charge.