Bill C-24 · 43th Parliament · Justin Trudeau
An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (additional regular benefits), the Canada Recovery Benefits Act (restriction on eligibility) and another Act in response to COVID-19
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedFeb. 25, 2021
- Debated in principleMarch 11, 2021
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberMarch 12, 2021
- Passed the second chamberMarch 17, 2021
- Became lawMarch 17, 2021
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Justin TrudeauPrime 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.
What it set out to do
On 25 February 2021, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion introduced Bill C-24, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (additional regular benefits), the Canada Recovery Benefits Act (restriction on eligibility) and another Act in response to COVID-19, in the House of Commons and it was given first reading. Bill C-24 amends the Employment Insurance Act in order, temporarily, to increase the maximum number of weeks for which regular benefits may be paid under Part I of that Act and facilitate access to benefits for self-employed persons under Part VII.1 of that Act. It also amends the Canada Recovery Benefits Act to (a) add a condition to provide that a person is eligible for benefits only if they were not, at any time during a benefit period, required to quarantine or isolate themselves under any order made under the Quarantine Act as a result of entering into Canada or (i) if they were required to do so, the only reason for their having been outside Canada was to receive a necessary medical treatment or to accompany someone who was required to receive a necessary medical treatment, or (ii) if, as a result of entering into Canada, they we…
Summary by the Library of Parliament.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
33% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (2,375 words introduced, 1,979 passed).
moderate changeintent mostly kept
The bill added a Governor General recommendation on appropriations and expanded attestation clauses from (a)-(l) or (h) to (a)-(m) or (i) to cover the new quarantine restriction. Information-sharing text was updated to include the Canada Recovery Benefits Act.
- Added formal recommendation for appropriation of public revenue.
After: “RECOMMENDATION Her Excellency the Governor General recommends to the House of Commons the appropriation of public revenue under the circumstances, in the manner and for the purposes set out in a measure entitled " An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (additional regular benefits), the Canada Recovery Benefits Act (restriction on eligibility) and another Act in response to COVID-19 ".”
- Expanded attestation to cover one more eligibility condition.
Before: “Subject to subsections (2) to (4), a person must, in their application, attest that they met each of the eligibility conditions referred to in paragraphs 3(1)(a) to (l).”
After: “Subject to subsections (2) to (5), a person must, in their application, attest that they meet each of the eligibility conditions referred to in paragraphs 3(1)(a) to (m).”
- Updated information-sharing clause to reference the new Act.
Before: “an official of the Department of Employment and Social Development solely for the purpose of administering or enforcing the Employment Insurance Act or the Old Age Security Act , if the information relates to the movement of people into and out of Canada;”
After: “an official of the Department of Employment and Social Development solely for the purpose of administering or enforcing the Employment Insurance Act , the Old Age Security Act or the Canada Recovery Benefits Act , if the information relates to the movement of people into and out of Canada;”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Moderate
The bill sets out detailed eligibility rules with fixed date ranges, dollar thresholds, and medical certification requirements that tie benefits to objective facts about quarantine orders. Some room for argument remains around what counts as a 'necessary' treatment and how verification by the Minister of Health will work in practice.
Open to argument
“the only reason for their having been outside Canada was to receive a necessary medical treatment”
The word 'necessary' introduces a standard that depends on medical judgment rather than a fixed statutory list.“assist the Minister in verifying whether a person meets the eligibility condition”
The verb 'assist' and the verification power are stated without limits on methods or criteria the Minister of Health may apply.
Clear-cut
“whose benefit period begins during the period beginning on September 27, 2020 and ending on September 25, 2021 is 50”
Exact calendar dates and a numeric maximum create a bright-line rule.“certified by a medical practitioner to be necessary”
The requirement of certification by a named professional converts an otherwise subjective test into an objective documentary one.“deemed to have come into force on October 2, 2020”
A single, unambiguous retroactive date removes any discretion over timing.
Discretion. The Minister of Health is given an open-ended power to assist verification and to disclose Quarantine Act information, with no statutory limits on the scope or manner of that assistance.
Challenging the law itself. The provisions use defined periods, dollar amounts and certification requirements, leaving little room for a successful vagueness or overbreadth argument under section 7 of the Charter.
Disputing a charge under it. A claimant could dispute whether a given trip met the 'necessary medical treatment' exception or whether the Minister's verification correctly applied the Quarantine Act order, but the certification and date rules narrow the factual disputes.
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.