I have a ruling. Amendments LIB-4 and LIB-5 are consequential to each other, so I'm foreshadowing my ruling on LIB-5, but I will read the ruling on LIB-4.
This amendment seeks to amend Bill C-59. The amendment would result in an increase in the value of the benefit in question. House of Commons Procedure and Practice, , second edition, states on pages 767-8:
Since an amendment may not infringe upon the financial initiative of the Crown, it is inadmissible if it imposes a charge on the public treasury, or if it extends the objects or purposes or relaxes the conditions and qualifications specified in the royal recommendation.
In the opinion of the Chair, the amendment proposes to increase the value of the said benefit that would impose an additional charge on the public treasury, and therefore, I rule the amendment inadmissible. This applies to LIB-4. It also applies to NDP-13.
Does the NDP wish to address clause 217 in general?
Monsieur Côté.