Thank you, Madame Pauzé.
Yes you are correct. I will rule the amendment as inadmissible, and I'll explain why.
Bill C-44 seeks to amend the Employment Insurance Act to increase flexibility in the provisions of caregiving and parental benefits. The amendment would result in higher benefits being claimed beyond those that the bill provides for. As House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Second Edition, states on page 767 and 768:
Since an amendment may not infringe upon the financial initiative of the Crown, it is inadmissible if it imposes a charge in the public treasury, or if it extends the objects or purposes or relaxes the conditions and qualifications specified in the royal recommendation.
In my opinion, the amendment would extend the charge on the public treasury. Therefore, the amendment is inadmissible. The amendment was for new clause 235.1, so we do not need to deal with that.
There are no amendments for clauses 236 to 244. Is there consent to deal with them as a block?
(Amendments 236 to 244 inclusive agreed to on division)
(On clause 245)
We now have NDP amendment 17.