Manitoba Legislative Update

2nd Session, 42nd Legislature

New Bills

Government Bills

Bill 2 The Retail Business Hours Of Operation Act – Currently, retail business hours and days of operation are subject to provincial legislation. This Bill gives local governments authority over these matters.

Bill 3 The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act – This Bill amends The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act to make it a term of the agreement that the operator of a cannabis store must pay to the government a social responsibility fee. The fee is 6% of the operator’s annual cannabis sales revenue or the amount set by regulation.

Bill 4 The Manitoba Hydro Amendment Act – This Bill amends The Manitoba Hydro Act to increase the borrowing authority granted to Manitoba Hydro. Currently, Manitoba Hydro may borrow up to $500 million for temporary purposes. This amendment authorizes borrowing up to $1.5 billion for those purposes.

Bill 5 The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act – This Bill amends the Act to prohibit cannabis consumption in public places, unless the consumption is permitted by regulation or under The Smoking and Vapour Products Control Act.

Bill 6 The Planning Amendment Act – This Bill amends The Planning Act to provide that the council of the City of Brandon is the approving authority for the subdivision of land in Brandon.

Bill 7 The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Leave for Victims of Interpersonal Violence) – Currently, an employee who is a victim of domestic violence may take a leave from work under The Employment Standards Code. This Bill expands leave eligibility to an employee who is a victim of sexual violence or stalking.

Private Bills

Bill 200 The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act – This Bill amends these Acts to change the definition “recognized opposition party” and the definition “other opposition party” 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.

Bill 201 The Vital Statistics Amendment Act – This Bill amends The Vital Statistics Act to provide that the birth certificate and other official documents of a person who has changed their sex designation may contain no sex designation or may use an “X”.

Proclamations

SM 2019, c. 16 The Courts Modernization Act – “With the advice and consent of the Executive Council of Manitoba, we name January 1, 2020, as the day on which sections 7, 8, 12, 16, 17, 20 to 23 and 25 of The Courts Modernization Act (Various Acts Amended) (S.M. 2019, c. 16) come into force.”

Legislative Updates

1st Session of the 42nd Legislature

New Bills

Government Bills

Private Bills

Bill 200 – The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act

Check the Bill Status to follow the legislative process.

2nd reading

Passed

Legislative Update: New Bills

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 ActThe 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:

Bill 200: The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act

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. 

Legislative Updates

Fourth Session, Forty-First Legislature

New Bills

Government Bills:

Private Member’s Bills:

Concurrence and 3rd Reading

Passed

Legislative Updates

Fourth Session, Forty-First Legislature

New Bills

Private Member’s Bills:

2nd Reading

Committee/Reported

Defeated

Check the Bill Status daily to follow the legislative process.

Legislative Updates

Fourth Session, Forty-First Legislature

New Bills

Government Bills:

Private Member’s Bills:

2nd Reading

  • Commitee/Reported

Concurrence and 3rd Reading

Check the Bill Status daily to follow the legislative process.

Proclamations

The Government has proclaimed the following Act: 

The Red Tape Reduction and Government Efficiency Act, 2018 (SM 2018, c. 29), section 37 effective July 1, 2019.