First Session, Forty-Second Legislature
Government Bills
Bill 2: The Public Services Sustainability Amendment Act
This Bill amends The Public Services Sustainability Act. The key changes are as follows:
- the start date and the duration of a sustainability period for a group of unionized employees may be set by regulation;
- the increases in pay during a sustainability period that is set by regulation cannot exceed the maximum increases currently permitted under the Act;
- the minister may approve a collective agreement that provides for modest increases in additional remuneration;
- compensation changes that reflect sustainability savings identified in the course of collective bargaining may be approved by Treasury Board;
- a collective agreement may be exempted from the Act by regulation;
- references to the Manitoba Health Services Insurance Fund and other funds are removed;
- the recovery of overpayments is clarified.
Bill 22: The Business Registration, Supervision and Ownership Transparency Act (Various Acts Amended)
This Bill amends The Business Names Registration Act, The Cooperatives Act, The Corporations Act and The Partnership Act. The following are the key changes.
Extra-Provincial Registrations
Registrars may enter into agreements with other Canadian jurisdictions respecting the extra-provincial registration of corporations, partnerships and cooperatives. Cabinet may make regulations about these registrations.
Extra-provincial limited partnerships can now be registered in Manitoba.
Extra-provincial limited liability partnerships that have an attorney for service no longer require a registered office in Manitoba.
Supervision of Cooperatives
The Cooperatives Act is amended to authorize the minister to designate a Superintendent of Cooperatives. Those functions of the Registrar of Cooperatives that relate to the supervision over financial matters, the issuing of securities and appeals of membership terminations in a housing cooperative are transferred to the Superintendent. The Registrar is also no longer required to act as an adviser to cooperatives or provide model forms of articles and by-laws to cooperatives.
Ownership Transparency
The Corporations Act and The Cooperatives Act are harmonized with recent changes to federal legislation respecting ownership transparency.
Corporations must maintain a register of individuals who, separately or collectively, exert more than 25% of the shareholder voting rights. Reporting issuers, publicly traded corporations, licensed insurers and loan and trust corporations are exempt from this requirement.
Corporations and cooperatives are no longer allowed to issue options or other instruments that are convertible into bearer form. Holders of such instruments that are in bearer form can require the corporation or cooperative that issued them to convert them into registered form.
*Reinstated from the 4th Session, 41st Legislature
Private Members’ Bills:
This Bill amends The Legislative Assembly Act and The Legislative Assembly Management Commission Act. The definition “recognized opposition party” and the definition “other opposition party” are changed to include political parties that are represented in the Assembly by two or more members, provided that the party’s candidates received at least 10% of the votes cast in the last general election. Such a party and its members are not immediately entitled to any additional funding, salaries or allowances.
To follow the legislative process, be sure to check Bill Status daily.
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