Four Bills Receive Royal Assent

Summary#

On March 13, 2020, Her Excellency the Governor General gave Royal Assent (official approval) to four bills listed in the House of Commons notice. The Canada Gazette published that notice on March 28, 2020. The bills are now recorded as chapters 1–4 (2020).

What it does#

• An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States (Bill C-4, chapter 1, 2020) — turns the trilateral agreement named in the title into Canadian law.
• An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020 (Bill C-10, chapter 2, 2020) — authorizes federal spending for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.
• An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 (Bill C-11, chapter 3, 2020) — authorizes federal spending for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021.
• An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act (special warrant) (Bill C-12, chapter 4, 2020) — changes the Financial Administration Act in a way tied to a “special warrant”; the notice does not give details of the change.

The notice also says assent was given by written declaration under the Royal Assent Act and that both Houses of Parliament were notified on March 13, 2020.

Who's affected#

• Businesses, exporters and importers that deal across Canada, the United States and Mexico could be affected by the trade-implementation Act.
• Federal departments, agencies and anyone who receives federal program money are affected by the two appropriation Acts for the fiscal years ending March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
• People and organizations that deal with federal financial rules or emergency spending rules may be affected by the amendment to the Financial Administration Act — the Gazette notice does not spell out the practical effects.
• If you want the exact legal or program details, the short Gazette notice here does not provide them, so the specific impacts may need looking up in each Act’s text.

Why it matters#

• Making the trade agreement into law can change rules for cross-border trade, tariffs, and business planning between Canada, the United States and Mexico.
• The spending Acts set or confirm how the federal government can pay for programs and services for the stated fiscal years, which affects government operations and funded programs.
• Changes to the Financial Administration Act could affect how the government authorizes or uses certain kinds of spending (the notice is not specific about the change).
• This is a formal step that completes the parliamentary process for these bills. If you are directly involved in international trade, a federally funded program, or public finances, you may want to read the full Acts for details.