Bill C-24 · 38th Parliament · Paul Martin
An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (fiscal equalization payments to the provinces and funding to the territories)
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedNov. 23, 2004
- Debated in principleFeb. 2, 2005
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberFeb. 15, 2005
- Passed the second chamberMarch 8, 2005
- Became lawMarch 10, 2005
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Paul MartinPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
76% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (4,941 words introduced, 4,850 passed).
minor changeintent mostly kept
The bill passed with only minor wording adjustments in section 4 and one added subsection on final calculations. Core provisions on equalization payments to provinces and territorial financing stayed the same.
- Added a provision requiring the Minister to make the final calculation of Formula Financing Grants using the most recent information.
After: “Final calculation (2) The Minister shall make the final calcu- lation of the aggregate of the Formula Financing Grants on the basis of the most recent inform”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill sets exact dollar amounts, fixed provincial allocations, specific dates, and arithmetic formulas for equalization and territorial grants. Ministerial discretion remains only on timing and manner of payments plus a few adjustment calculations.
Open to argument
“at the times and in the manner that the Minister considers appropriate”
Subjective standard leaves timing and payment method to ministerial opinion rather than objective rules.“the Minister may pay”
Repeated permissive language creates broad discretion instead of mandatory duties.
Clear-cut
“for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2005, shall equal $10.9 billion”
Fixed numerical total with no range or opinion test.
Discretion. Ministers decide the exact timing and manner of all payments and may adjust certain grants using estimates from Statistics Canada or other sources.
Challenging the law itself. The provisions authorize government-to-government transfers and do not limit Charter rights of individuals or impose vague criminal prohibitions.
Disputing a charge under it. No offences are created; disputes would concern arithmetic or eligibility under fixed formulas rather than open-ended standards.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
no evaluation found
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.