Legislative roundup

Government tables budget bill

Finance Minister Joe Oliver recently tabled legislation that would implement some of the proposals put forward in this year’s federal budget, as well as other measures.

Bill C-31, the Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, would amend the Income Tax Act Regulations to reduce the frequency of source deduction remittances for small and medium-sized employers. In the budget, the government proposed to increase the thresholds for accelerated remitters from $15,000 to $25,000 for threshold 1 and from $50,000 to $100,000 for threshold 2. The change would take effect Jan. 1, 2015.

The bill also proposes to amend the Income Tax Act to introduce a non-refundable tax credit for eligible search and rescue volunteers. The proposed tax credit would allow an eligible individual to claim a 15 per cent non-refundable tax credit based on an amount of $3,000. To be eligible for the tax credit, individuals would have to carry out a minimum of 200 hours of search and rescue services per year. The proposal would apply to 2014 and later tax years.

In addition, the bill would amend the Canada Labour Code to allow employees covered by the Code to interrupt a leave for compassionate care or a leave related to their child’s critical illness, disappearance or death, or to take a leave for sickness or for a work-related illness or injury.

Reminder: Victoria Day is a statutory holiday in most jurisdictions

Monday, May 19, is a statutory holiday in many parts of Canada. In most jurisdictions, the holiday is called Victoria Day. In Quebec, it is called National Patriots’ Day.

Employment standards legislation in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon sets out the requirements for paying employees for this holiday. For federally regulated employers and employees, the holiday is covered in the Canada Labour Code. In New Brunswick, the day is a holiday under the Days of Rest Act.

MANITOBA

Bill proposes measures to protect temporary help workers

A bill before the Manitoba legislature proposes to extend the notice of termination and termination pay requirements in The Employment Standards Code to temporary help employees. The Code requires employees and employers to provide notice of termination once employees have been employed for more than 30 days.

Labour and Immigration Minister Erna Braun tabled Bill 50, The Protection for Temporary Help Workers Act (Worker Recruitment and Protection Act and Employment Standards Code Amended), on April 15, 2014. If passed, the bill will come into force on Oct. 1, 2014.

The bill would also stipulate that individuals hired by a temporary help agency to work for the agency’s clients are employees of the agency regardless of whether they are assigned to do work for a client.

It also proposes restrictions on the fees agencies can charge employees and clients who hire temporary help workers to work for them or who provide them with reference letters. The bill would also require temporary help agencies to be licensed.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Minimum wage going up

The Prince Edward Island government is raising the minimum wage rate twice this year, Environment, Labour and Justice Minister Janice Sherry recently announced. The rate will increase from $10.00 per hour to $10.20 on June 1, and to $10.35 on Oct. 1.

QUEBEC

Reminder: Minimum wage increased May 1

Effective May 1, the general minimum wage rate in Quebec went up from $10.15 per hour to $10.35. The rate change also applies to employees in specified sectors of the clothing industry. The rate for employees who receive tips rose from $8.75 an hour to $8.90. The minimum amount paid to employees who pick raspberries rose from $2.98 per kilogram to $3.04 and the rate for strawberry pickers went up from $0.79 per kilogram to $0.81.

SASKATCHEWAN

Minimum wage going up

The Saskatchewan government is raising the provincial minimum wage rate from $10.00 per hour to $10.20 on Oct. 1, Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan recently announced.

The government has also drafted regulations to annually index the minimum wage rate. The indexation formula will be based on percentage changes to both the consumer price index and the average hourly wage for the previous year. Future minimum wage changes will occur on Oct. 1, with the government announcing the rate change by June 30 each year.

YUKON

Bill proposes changes to child-related leaves

Yukon’s Legislative Assembly is considering a bill that would change the eligibility requirement and length of time off for certain unpaid child-related leaves.

The territorial government tabled Bill 68, an Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, on April 1. The bill proposes to:

• reduce the amount of time from 12 months to six months that employees would have to work for their employer before being eligible to take a leave for their critically ill child or leaves for their child who has disappeared or died as a result of a suspected crime.

• increase the maximum amount of time an employee could take off work — from 35 weeks to 52 weeks — for the leave related to a child who has disappeared.

• increase the maximum amount of time an employee could take off work — from 35 weeks to 104 weeks — for the leave related to the death of a child.

The bill will come into force as soon as it receives royal assent.