Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is in regard to transparency.
As I was mentioning earlier, we took very seriously here the “nothing without us”, but we did want to make sure that there was transparency and that there was in the process a good opportunity to have oversight. The current government is a minority government, and that needs to be respected. Other parties must be allowed to approve or disapprove regulations that we won't necessarily have any ability to see.
As an important component to Canada's democracy, transparency must live throughout these regulations. This amendment is providing the opportunity for other parties to have oversight on the regulation, to hold the government to account, and for the Liberals to have the best support to deliver a CDB from Parliament that's good for persons with disabilities currently living in poverty.
Based on the testimony that we received from Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Citizens for Public Justice, and Professor Jinyan Li from Osgoode and Kate Chung in correspondence, among others, the amendment proposes that the minister will make sure to table a regulation, before it is made, to this House.
If you don't mind, I'd just like to read through this amendment.
It is that Bill C-22 be amended by adding after line 3 on page 6 the following new clause:
Tabling of Regulations
11.1(1) The Minister must cause each regulation that is proposed to be made to be tabled in each House of Parliament.
(2) A regulation may not be made before the earliest of
(a) 30 sitting days after the proposed regulation has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament,
(b) 160 calendar days after the proposed regulation has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament, and
(c) the day after the appropriate committee of each House of Parliament has reported its findings with respect to the proposed regulation.
(3) The Minister must take into account any report of the committee of either House. If a regulation does not incorporate a recommendation of the committee of either House, the Minister must cause to be tabled in each House of Parliament a statement of the reasons for not incorporating it.
(4) A proposed regulation that has been tabled under subsection (1) need not be tabled again before the regulation is made, whether or not it has been altered.
(5) For the purpose of paragraph (2)(a), “sitting day” means a day on which either House of Parliament sits.
Colleagues, one key thing here is that this amendment will allow other parties to see regulations that are proposed before they become regulations.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.