MPs on the Commons Finance committee expressed their frustration saying they might need hundreds of hours to analyze the omnibus budget bill.. Marty Morantz .Conservative MP Marty Morantz (Charleswood-St. James, MB) pointed out the Liberals, when they were not in power, criticized such “catch-all” budget bills as undemocratic..“I am not sure I am really clear how we as a Finance committee can give proper scrutiny to something like this,” said Morantz..“I’m not the only one who feels this way when it comes to this sort of omnibus legislation.”.Morantz recited a 2013 quote from then-Liberal MP Justin Trudeau (Papineau, QC), who criticized smaller omnibus bills by the previous Conservative cabinet..“He said, ‘Omnibus bills prevent Parliament from properly reviewing and debating proposals; we will bring an end to this undemocratic practice,’” said Morantz..Bill C-47 the Budget Implementation Act runs to 430 pages and amends or introduces 51 Acts of Parliament. A second follow-up bill is expected this fall..“We are an activist government,” said Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz (Davenport, ON). .“We have been one since we were first elected. We put in major, unbelievable programs.”.Bloc Québécois MP Gabriel Ste-Marie (Joliette, QC) said the Finance committee “would need at least 100 hours” to understand Bill C-47 fully..“I think it’s important that every member of the Finance committee gets the answers to all their questions before voting on the bill,” said Ste-Marie..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, MPs complained for years that omnibus bills are so unwieldy the Commons and Senate pass legislation most members have neither read nor understood..In 2018, Parliament passed two omnibus bills, C-74 and C-86, totalling 1,411 pages, the largest in Canadian history..Omnibus budget bills introduced by the previous Conservative cabinet ran to 452 pages in 2012, 309 pages in 2013 and 478 pages in 2014..“I thought there was a lesson learned,” Morantz said..“A few years ago, in the budget implementation bill, there was a section that amended the Criminal Code to allow for deferred prosecution agreements. That initiative led to a major scandal.”.“Are there any changes in Bill C-47 that would benefit any one particular company?” Morantz asked the Finance committee..“Anyone? Anyone here can answer that? You don’t know? There might be? There is a lot of silence around the table, Mr. Chair.”.Morantz referred to Bill C-74, a 584-page omnibus bill passed by Parliament in 2018. On page 555, it rewrote the Criminal Code to allow companies to escape prosecution for bribery, money laundering or other serious crimes in exchange for voluntary disclosure of wrongdoing under “remediation agreements.”.SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. in 2021 became the only corporation in Canada to be offered a settlement under the clause. Company executives to date have pled guilty or been convicted of fraud, bribery, bid rigging, breach of trust, laundering the proceeds of crime and making $109,616 in illegal campaign contributions to the Liberal Party..The 51 Acts of Parliament amended or introduced by the latest omnibus budget bill are the Air Travellers Security Charge Act, Bank Act, Bank Of Canada Act, Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act, the Canada Elections Act, Canada Emission Reduction Incentives Agency Act, Canada Innovation Corporation Act, Canada Labour Code, Canada Pension Plan and Canada Post Corporation Act, the Canada Shipping Act, Canada Transportation Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act, Canadian Human Rights Act, Citizenship Act, College Of Immigration And Citizenship Consultants Act, Criminal Code, Customs Act, Dental Care Measures Act, Department Of Employment And Social Development Act, Employment Insurance Act, Excise Tax Act, Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, Financial Consumer Agency Of Canada Act, Food And Drugs Act, Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, Immigration And Refugee Protection Act, Income Tax Act, Insurance Companies Act, Justice For Victims Of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, Maritime Liability Act, National Research Council Act, NATO Act, Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, Patent Act, Pension Benefits Standards Act, Pooled Registered Pensions Plans Act, Proceeds Of Crime And Terrorist Financing Act, Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act, Quarantine Act, Royal Style And Titles Act, Service Fees Act, Special Economic Measures Act, Superintendent Of Financial Institutions Act, Tax Rebate Discounting Act, Trust And Loan Companies Act, Winding Up And Restructuring Act, the Wrecked, Abandoned Or Hazardous Vessels Act and Yukon Act.
