Finance committee  That's more for you to assess than for me.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  The formulation of the spirit versus the letter is one that we hear from time to time. It seems, again, that the government would be better placed than me to explain what it meant in the communiqué, but as I read it, it's a statement recognizing that the bill is now in force and the government intends to bring some amendments to deal with certain aspects of it while keeping within the overall spirit.

Finance committee  In the sense of indicating the government's intention to propose legislation, I would not necessarily see that as a conflict with the will of Parliament, in the sense that Parliament has not expressed its will on that proposed legislation. I think what is being stated is that there's an intention to bring forward a bill, and then that bill would be subject to debate and approval by Parliament.

Finance committee  To be passed, the bill must go through three readings in the House. The first reading, which is the general presentation of the bill, takes place without debate. At second reading, the members debate the principle of the bill. Then it is sent to committee, where there is debate and opportunity for amendment.

Finance committee  That's the government expressing its concerns. I was paraphrasing the government's concerns with the bill as it stands in law, and its intention to introduce future amendments on that point. That is consistent with the practice we have seen. It clarifies perhaps the ambiguity in the June 30 statement, which mentioned the lack of a coming-into-force date and indicated that amendments would deal with a coming-into-force date.

Finance committee  Governments can express their intention to introduce subsequent legislation, and that is subject to parliamentary approval.

Finance committee  That is accurate. The provision reads, “If no date of commencement is provided for in an Act, the date of commencement of that Act is the date of assent to the Act.” That is the default provision in the sense that if there's no other specified coming into force, then it comes into force on the date of royal assent.

Finance committee  I'm satisfied that in the release yesterday, the government has recognized that Bill C-208 is in force and has expressed its intention to introduce future amendments.

Finance committee  The problem with the first news release was that it pointed out that Bill C‑208 did not provide for an implementation date. It stated so in the beginning, in the first paragraph. It ended by stating that the government intended to include new legislation to clarify that those amendments would apply at the beginning of the next fiscal year.

Finance committee  I will comment on the authorities of the House. Those authorities are fundamental and the House has exercised them, and I will support the exercise of those authorities going forward.

Finance committee  The government issued a statement yesterday. The committee, as I understand, will be hearing from further witnesses and can determine if it's satisfied with the clarification it has received. The government has issued a statement indicating that it recognizes that the bill is in force and that it proposes to introduce amendments down the road.

Finance committee  The July 19 press release does clarify the government's view, certainly, as consistent with the fact that the bill is in force. We see this recognition: The bill is in force as of royal assent in this case. There was nothing unusual with there not being a specified coming-into-force date in the bill.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  I can't speculate as to intentions. I've mentioned the two communiqués. There was the one on June 30, which has now been replaced by the communiqué that was issued yesterday.