Madam Speaker, what I propose to do is deal with the motions in the following order: Motion No. 14 from the member for Prince George—Bulkley Valley; then those from the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, the Bloc amendments; and then finally the amendments from the NDP member for Regina—Qu'Appelle.
Dealing first with Motion No. 14, of course the members on this side of the House do not need convincing about the importance of the credit union movement and the kind of expanded and enhanced role we would like to see them play in the Canadian economy by providing consumers with more choice and by providing more competition. That is a given. The Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions, when he spoke at committee, gave the undertaking that the government would work with the credit union movement to try to enhance its role in the Canadian economy.
With respect to this particular motion, which was actually put forward by the NDP at committee, I would just like to mention that the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle seems to argue that the legislation does not provide equal treatment to credit unions.
The credit union movement, when it came to the committee, was looking for preferential treatment. We cannot accept having treatment for the credit union movement that would be preferential to the treatment we have for other financial institutions.
Members on this side are not the only ones to work actively with the credit union movement. The Department of Finance has worked closely with it in developing Bill C-8. The resulting legislation responds to the need of credit unions for greater structural flexibility as they move to restructure their operations and become more integrated.
However with this new flexibility come prudential concerns resulting from a whole new set of ownership possibilities, most of them unknown at this point. Because the landscape is changing so quickly we must be concerned about the potential for prudential risks. The control requirement is necessary to safeguard against such risks and is designed to ensure the parent company has the power to intervene in situations where a subsidiary might get into financial trouble. These same provisions apply to other financial institutions such as large banks and insurance companies that are also widely held.
Given the broader risks associated with this new flexibility it is more prudent, in the government's view, to establish a general safety net or prohibition and to provide the regulatory flexibility to make exceptions as necessary. This is a common use of existing regulatory authorities. If unforeseen circumstances arise, a general prohibition allows us to err on the side of caution.
The change made to proposed subclause 396(a) at committee would broaden the scope of the regulation making authority and provide further comfort to the Credit Union Central Canada, CUCC, that the government had all the flexibility it needed to provide exceptions from the control requirements as necessary.
The Department of Finance is already engaged in an extensive drafting exercise to prepare the regulations stemming from Bill C-8. It has had early discussions with the CUCC on the possibility of drafting a regulation that would provide the required flexibility. Once approved, the regulations would have the same effect as legislation.
I now want to speak to Motion No. 9 by the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. This motion deals with the matters the minister might take into account in determining whether or not to approve acquisition of a significant interest in a bank.
The matters to be taken into account under proposed paragraph ( i ) of the motion are contemplated in paragraph ( f ) on the conduct of businesses and operations of applicants. Consequently, the minister shall have the legislative authority to take into account the matters outlined under paragraph ( i ).
Since there is no need to amend the legislation to allow the minister to take these matters into account, it was determined for reasons of clarity and transparency to have these matters set out in the guidelines.
The guidelines indicate the government's commitment to take these matters into account in category changes.
I will clarify a point made by the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. In his speech he seemed to imply that a bank with assets of over $5 billion may not be subject to the widely held rule. Bill C-8 states that banks with assets over $5 billion would automatically be subject to the widely held rule.
We have other motions before us from the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle, the NDP finance critic, and I will now refer to them.
I will move to Motion No. 10, which deals with low cost accounts. The member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and others spoke about how the government and the Liberal Party have talked about the need for low cost accounts. The amendment from the NDP would amend the definition of low fee retail deposit accounts in clause 439(1) to specify that such accounts shall cost $3. The members opposite seem to be implying that we do not have a commitment to low cost accounts.
Bill C-8 in fact establishes the low cost account and that is exactly what the Liberal government has advocated for some time. Rather than reneging on our promise, the bill delivers on that promise. As members are aware, the Department of Finance has successfully negotiated low cost account memoranda of understanding with each of the major banks.
The views of consumer groups on the desired features of the low cost account were sought prior to negotiating the arrangements. Taking those views into account, the accounts adhere to certain standards, including a maximum monthly fee of $4 and the availability of some in branch transactions. Providing banks some flexibility in pricing and designing the accounts ensures consumers greater choice in obtaining low cost accounts that best meet their needs.
Motion No. 11 from the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle deals with branch closures. I will comment on that briefly. Our proposed reforms are intended to encourage financial institutions to be more responsive to the public without unduly interfering in the day to day business decisions of banks. Some members opposite have clearly pointed out that the motion presented by the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle is intrusive into the day to day decision making of banks.
Issues such as branch operating hours and closures are a matter for individual banks and the marketplace to decide. That being said, we believe consumers should receive adequate notice of branch closures to facilitate adjustment to the closures. Under our new policy framework, should a financial institution choose to close a branch it would be required to provide at least four months' notice. If the branch is the last one in a rural community, six months' notice would be required. The notice period would give the community an opportunity to discuss alternatives with the institution or to approach other financial institutions that could perhaps fill the gap. That deals with the motions in Group No. 2.