PARLIAMENTARY REPORT
CANADA THIRD READING: QUÉBEC, CANADA
Between February and June 2015, the National Assembly of Québec passed 19 public bills, including 12 unanimously.
Abolishing regional health and social services agencies
The National Assembly began its spring sessional period on 10 February 2015. Previously, at the Premier’s request, the Assembly had met for an extraordinary sitting on 6 February to continue studying Bill 10, An Act to modify the organization and governance of the health and social services network, in particular by abolishing the regional agencies. The Bill was passed at the end of the exceptional legislative procedure provided for in the National Assembly’s Standing Orders. Under the Act, each health region’s health and social services agency is amalgamated with all of that region’s public institutions to create an integrated health and social services centre. However, the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la- Madeleine, Montérégie and Montréal regions will have two, three and five integrated centres, respectively.
The Act creates 13 integrated health and social services centres (CISSS) and nine integrated university health and services centres (CIUSSS). The latter type of integrated centre is either located in a health region where a university offers a complete undergraduate program in medicine or operates a centre designated as a university institute in the social sector. The purpose of the Act is to facilitate and simplify public access to services and improve the quality and safety of care, as well as make the network more efficient and effective by creating institutions with a broader mission. Lastly, the Act implements a two-tier management structure.
Amendments to the Cooperatives Act The Assembly unanimously passed Bill 19, An Act to amend the Cooperatives Act and other legislative provisions. Among other things, the Act specifies that sums devolved to a cooperative must be allocated to the cooperative’s reserve and that the reserve may not be drawn upon in any manner. The Act also introduces measures to protect the patrimony of housing cooperatives a building of which
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has been built, acquired, restored or renovated under a government housing assistance program. The cooperative must maintain the social or community vocation of the building. In addition, disposing of the building or changing its vocation requires the Minister’s prior authorization. Lastly, in the event of the winding- up of a cooperative, the balance of its assets must be devolved to a cooperative of the same nature.
Implementation of certain provisions of the Budget Speech
Bill 28, An Act mainly to implement certain provisions of the Budget Speech of 4 June 2014 and return to a balanced budget in 2015–2016, was passed at an extraordinary sitting on 20 April 2015, at the end of the exceptional legislative procedure provided for in the Standing Orders. The Act sets out various measures aimed at putting the State’s finances in order and achieving a zero deficit for the 2015–2016 fiscal year, and amends several Acts in various fields of State activity. The Act’s most significant measures include giving the Minister of Finance responsibility for preparing and publishing a pre-election report on the Government’s financial situation. Furthermore, the Auditor General must prepare a report on the plausibility of the forecasts and assumptions presented in the pre-election report.
The Act amends the Educational Childcare Act in order to change the rules for determining the contribution required from a parent whose child is receiving childcare from a subsidized childcare provider. Day care rates will vary based on family income. In addition, pharmacists’ remuneration is amended and local development centres (CLD) and regional conferences of elected officers (CRE) are abolished.
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