Liberals accept Conservative amendments to limit cabinet powers in budget bill

A House finance committee approved four Conservative amendments to the Budget Implementation Act that add a 30-day public consultation, dual ministerial approval and reporting requirements for proposed regulatory sandbox exemptions; the bill returns to the House and is expected to face a confidence vote.

The Liberals accepted Conservative amendments during a clause-by-clause review of C-15, the Budget Implementation Act. The amendments impose checks on proposed powers to create "regulatory sandboxes," which would allow temporary exemptions from federal laws except the Criminal Code. Opposition MPs had raised concerns about concentrating broad authority in cabinet ministers. The changes were adopted at the House of Commons finance committee. Key points: - The finance committee voted in favour of four Conservative amendments to C-15. - Amendments require a 30-day public consultation before any exemptions are made. - They add dual approval by a cabinet minister and the president of the Treasury Board and require a report to Parliament within 90 days. - The bill returns to the House for debate and the vote on the Budget Implementation Act is expected to be a confidence vote. Summary: The accepted amendments add consultation, approval and reporting requirements and set limits on what can be exempted from federal laws. The bill will return to the House for a vote, and whether the changes will secure Conservative support is undetermined at this time.