Bill C-10 explained in plain English
An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill C-10 appropriates $3,793,291,722 to pay for federal government expenses for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020 that were not otherwise provided for.
Bill C-10 is an appropriation bill. Appropriation bills are Parliament's way of giving the federal government permission to spend money from the national treasury. This bill authorizes spending a total of $3,793,291,722 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The money comes from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is Canada's main federal treasury. The bill covers expenses across almost all federal government departments and agencies, including defence, health, employment, immigration, indigenous services, environment, and many others. Each department or agency listed in the schedules receives authorization to spend a specific amount for its operations and programs. The bill also includes some special provisions: - It allows certain transfers of appropriations to be treated as if they were approved on April 1, 2019. - It allows some expenditures to be recorded as adjustments to government accounts after the fiscal year ends, rather than as actual cash payments. - It forgives certain debts: it writes off $180,432,220 in student loan debts and $919,028,970 in debts related to comprehensive land claims. - It allows some spending to carry forward into the next fiscal year (ending March 31, 2021) under specific conditions. The money is distributed according to the Supplementary Estimates (B), which is a detailed budget document that Parliament reviewed.
- Appropriates $3,793,291,722 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for federal government expenses for fiscal year 2019–20
- Authorizes spending across dozens of federal departments and agencies for operating costs, capital expenditures, grants, and contributions
- Deems transfers of appropriations set out in the Supplementary Estimates (B) to have been authorized as of April 1, 2019
- Allows certain appropriations to be charged as accounting adjustments after the fiscal year ends without requiring actual cash payments
- Authorizes the writing off of $180,432,220 in debts related to student loans made under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act
- Authorizes the forgiveness of $919,028,970 in debts related to comprehensive land claims
- Permits some appropriations to be charged to either the 2019–20 fiscal year or the following 2020–21 fiscal year, with specific payment order rules
- Sets limits on certain types of spending (e.g., limits international financial institution assistance to $250,684,323)
- All federal government departments and agencies that received appropriations under this bill
- Taxpayers funding the federal government through the Consolidated Revenue Fund
- Individuals with outstanding student loans that are being written off under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act
- Indigenous groups with debts related to comprehensive land claims that are being forgiven
- Members of Parliament and Parliament staff (libraries and administrative services funded)
- Employees of federal agencies and departments whose operations are funded by these appropriations
- Members of the Queen's Privy Council who are ministers without portfolio or ministers of State without a portfolio (who receive salary adjustments)
- Each department or agency must use its appropriated funds only for the purposes specified in the bill.
- Departments and agencies are granted authority to make recoverable expenditures and advances in certain circumstances (e.g., for services provided to other organizations).
- Certain departments may retain and spend revenues they receive during the fiscal year from specified services or activities (e.g., licensing fees, service charges).
- The Department of National Defence has authority for total commitments of $32,283,582,335 across its votes, with an estimated $12,140,735,346 coming due in future years.
- Appropriations in Schedule 1 may be charged for accounting adjustments until the Public Accounts for the fiscal year are tabled in Parliament.
- Appropriations in Schedule 2 may be charged for adjustments to the following fiscal year's accounts until the Public Accounts for that second fiscal year are tabled in Parliament.
- Fiscal year ending March 31, 2020 (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020)
- Transfers of appropriations deemed authorized as of April 1, 2019
- Provisions of each item deemed to have effect as of April 1, 2019
- Schedule 2 appropriations may be paid and applied at any time on or before March 31, 2021
- Balance of Schedule 2 amounts lapse at the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021
- Total appropriation of $3,793,291,722 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund
- Schedule 1 appropriation: $3,786,898,978
- Schedule 2 appropriation: $6,392,744 (may carry forward to 2020–21 fiscal year)
- Writing off of $180,432,220 in student loan debts
- Forgiveness of $919,028,970 in debts related to comprehensive land claims
- Department of National Defence authorized for total commitments of $32,283,582,335 (though actual payment may occur in future years)
- International financial institution assistance limited to $250,684,323 for the fiscal year
- The bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms or penalties. It is an appropriation bill that authorizes spending; enforcement would occur under the laws and regulations governing how each department or agency uses its funds.
- The bill does not provide detailed justification or explanation for each departmental appropriation. The specific purposes within broad categories (e.g., 'Operating expenditures') are determined elsewhere in the Supplementary Estimates (B).
- The bill refers to 'Schedules 1 and 2' but the full context and reasoning for individual line items is not contained within the bill itself.
- The bill does not specify how the forgiven land claim debts ($919,028,970 for 98 debts) were originally created or the circumstances of each one.
- The bill does not explain why $180,432,220 in student loan debts are being written off or the criteria used to select which loans would be forgiven.
- For Schedule 2 appropriations, the exact timing of payment within the March 31, 2021 deadline is not specified.
The bill uses provisions of this Act (specifically sections 24.1, 25(2), and 29.1-29.2) to authorize certain accounting adjustments, debt write-offs, and revenue-offset expenditures by various departments and agencies.
Source: Sections 3, 4(1), 5, 6, and Schedule 1 items
The bill authorizes the writing off of $180,432,220 in debts (33,098 individual student loans) made under this Act.
Source: Schedule 1, Department of Employment and Social Development, Vote 90b
The bill sets a limit of $250,684,323 on financial assistance by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to international financial institutions for fiscal year 2019–20.
Source: Schedule 1, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Vote 20b
The bill authorizes payment to members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada who are ministers without portfolio or ministers of State not presiding over a ministry, with salary amounts not exceeding those under this Act and rounded down to the nearest hundred dollars under section 67 of the Parliament of Canada Act.
Source: Multiple items in Schedule 1
Multiple departments are authorized to make recoverable expenditures related to the application of this plan.
Source: Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 items for various departments
Multiple departments are authorized to make recoverable expenditures related to the application of this act.
Source: Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 items for various departments
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textThe official summary published alongside the bill, shown exactly as written.
Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
The Library of Parliament does not prepare Legislative Summaries for appropriation bills, ways and means bills and borrowing-authority bills. The following is a short summary: On 13 March 2020, the President of the Treasury Board introduced Bill C-10, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2020, in the House of Commons and it was given first reading. Bill C-10 (Appropriation Act No. 4, 2019-20) received Royal Assent on 13 March 2020 and authorizes payments to defray certain expenses of the public service of Canada, not otherwise provided for, for the financial year ending 31 March 2020. The Act provides for the sum of $3,793,291,722 to be appropriated from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to be used the public service of Canada. The Act came into force on Royal Assent.
This is the official summary published by the Parliament of Canada, shown verbatim. Not legal advice. PoliticalData.ca did not write or edit this text.
View on LEGISinfoParliamentary Process
Bill C-10 received Royal Assent on March 13, 2020, after completing all its readings and committee stages in the Senate on the same day.
This record indicates that Bill C-10, an Act for granting certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, reached its final stage of receiving Royal Assent on Friday, March 13, 2020. The record also lists the various readings and committee stages that occurred on the same day in the Senate, all marked as completed.
The Senate convened on March 13, 2020, to handle urgent business, including procedural motions, first readings of several bills (including appropriation bills), and ultimately received Royal Assent for Bills C-4, C-10, C-11, and C-12 before adjourning.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate met and adopted several procedural motions. These included motions to extend the sitting beyond the usual time and to allow senators to speak or vote from seats other than their assigned ones. The Senate then proceeded with first readings of four bills: Bill C-4 (implementing the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement), Bill C-10 (Appropriation Bill No. 4, 2019-2020), Bill C-11 (Appropriation Bill No. 1, 2020-2021), and Bill C-12 (amending the Financial Administration Act). The Senate also authorized a committee to meet during adjournment. Following debates and readings of other bills, the Senate received notification of Royal Assent for Bills C-4, C-10, C-11, and C-12. The sitting concluded with motions to adjourn until April 21, 2020, and to allow special warrants to be deposited with the Clerk of the Senate during adjournment.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate convened, adopted procedural motions to accommodate the circumstances, gave first reading to and debated/passed multiple appropriation and implementation bills, and all bills then received Royal Assent.
This record details the proceedings in the Senate on March 13, 2020. The Senate recalled its members to sit on this date instead of the previously scheduled March 24, 2020, due to urgent government business related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several procedural motions were adopted, including extending the sitting beyond the ordinary time of adjournment and allowing senators to speak or vote from seats other than their assigned places. The Senate then proceeded with the first reading of several bills, including Bill C-4 (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act), Bill C-10 (Appropriation Bill No. 4, 2019-20), Bill C-11 (Appropriation Bill No. 1, 2020-21), and Bill C-12 (Financial Administration Act amendment). Following this, the Senate engaged in second and third readings of these bills and others. Notably, Bill C-4, Bill C-10, Bill C-11, and Bill C-12 all received Royal Assent on this day. The Senate also adopted a motion regarding the depositing of special warrants during adjournment and set the date for its next sitting. The sitting concluded with a statement from the Speaker thanking members for their work during the extraordinary circumstances.
Bill C-10 completed its Senate second reading on March 13, 2020, and subsequently received Royal Assent.
This record indicates that Bill C-10 completed its second reading stage in the Senate on March 13, 2020. The bill subsequently received Royal Assent on the same day.
The Senate met on March 13, 2020, to conduct urgent business, including passing appropriation bills and other legislation, which then received Royal Assent before the Senate adjourned.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate met and adopted motions to extend the sitting and allow senators to speak or vote from different seats due to exceptional circumstances. The Senate then proceeded with the first reading of several bills, including Bill C-10, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The Senate also debated and passed Bill C-4 (An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States), Bill C-10, Bill C-11, and Bill C-12 (An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act) at second and third readings. Following these proceedings, Royal Assent was received for these bills. The Senate then adopted motions regarding the depositing of special warrants and adjourned until April 21, 2020.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate met to advance several bills, including Appropriation Bill No. 4, 2019-20 (Bill C-10), which was read for the first time, proceeded through second and third readings, and received Royal Assent on the same day.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate met to conduct urgent government business, including hearing the first reading of several bills. The Senate adopted two procedural motions: one to extend the sitting beyond the ordinary time of adjournment and another to allow senators to speak or vote from seats other than their assigned places. Bills C-4, C-10, C-11, and C-12 were read for the first time and scheduled for second reading later that day. The Senate also authorized a committee to meet during an adjournment and later proceeded to Royal Assent for several bills, including Bill C-10. The sitting concluded with a motion to adjourn until April 21, 2020.
The Senate completed the third reading of Bill C-10 on March 13, 2020, after which it received royal assent.
The Senate completed the third reading stage for Bill C-10 on March 13, 2020. This bill was for granting certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The bill later received royal assent on the same day, becoming chapter 2 of the Statutes of Canada 2020.
The Senate completed the third reading and passed Bill C-10, alongside other legislative items, before receiving Royal Assent and adjourning.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate held its third reading debate for Bill C-10, an act to grant funds for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The Senate also adopted motions to extend the sitting and allow senators to speak or vote from different seats. Several other bills, including the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Bill (Bill C-4), Appropriation Bill No. 1, 2020-21 (Bill C-11), and a bill to amend the Financial Administration Act (Bill C-12), were read for the first time, debated, and passed through their readings. The sitting concluded with Royal Assent being granted to these bills. The Senate then adjourned until April 21, 2020.
On March 13, 2020, the Senate adopted procedural motions to extend its sitting and allow flexible seating arrangements, proceeded with first, second, and third readings of several bills including Bill C-10, and received notification of Royal Assent for Bill C-10 and other legislation.
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the Senate met and adopted two procedural motions. The first motion extended the sitting beyond the ordinary time of adjournment, and the second motion allowed senators to speak or vote from seats other than their assigned places during that sitting. The Senate then proceeded with several first readings of bills, including Bill C-10. Following these procedural steps, the Senate engaged in second reading debates for Bill C-4 (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Bill) and Bill C-10 (Appropriation Bill No. 4, 2019-20), as well as second and third readings for Bills C-11 and C-12. The Senate subsequently received notification of Royal Assent for Bill C-10 and three other bills. The sitting concluded with motions regarding special warrants and adjournment. The proceedings were influenced by the global public health crisis, with senators taking measures for health and safety.
Bill C-10, concerning funding for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, completed its first reading in the House of Commons and received royal assent on March 13, 2020.
This artifact details the procedural steps of Bill C-10, an Act for granting certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The bill completed its first reading in the House of Commons on March 13, 2020. The record indicates that the bill received royal assent on the same date, becoming Statutes of Canada 2020, c. 2.
The House of Commons proceeded with the introduction and first reading of Bill C-10, while also agreeing to adjourn until April 20, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons began considering Bill C-10, an act to grant certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. This stage is known as the introduction and first reading. The debate also touched upon the COVID-19 pandemic and included agreements for the House to adjourn until April 20, 2020, with provisions for essential government business to continue. Several other bills and motions were also processed during this sitting, including the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act (Bill C-4) and the Financial Administration Act (Bill C-12).
Bill C-10 completed its Second Reading in the House of Commons on March 13, 2020, and subsequently received Royal Assent on the same day.
This record indicates that Bill C-10 completed its Second Reading stage in the House of Commons on Friday, March 13, 2020. The bill subsequently received Royal Assent on the same day, becoming Statutes of Canada 2020, c. 2. The provided text outlines the sequence of legislative steps for this bill on that date, including first reading, second reading, committee consideration, report stage, and third reading, all occurring on March 13, 2020.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons addressed the COVID-19 pandemic by agreeing to suspend sittings, passing Bill C-10 (Appropriation Act No. 4, 2019-20) through its legislative stages, and adjourning until April 20, 2020.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons held a sitting that included a debate on COVID-19 and procedural steps for several bills, including Bill C-10. The sitting was characterized by cross-party agreement to suspend regular parliamentary sittings due to the pandemic, while ensuring the government could still access necessary funds. Bill C-10, concerning appropriations for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, was introduced, read a second time, referred to a committee of the whole, considered, reported without amendment, concurred in at the report stage, read a third time, and passed, all on division. The House also agreed to adjourn until April 20, 2020, with provisions for recalling Parliament if necessary.
Bill C-10, which grants funds for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, completed its committee stage in the House of Commons on March 13, 2020, and received royal assent.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons completed its consideration of Bill C-10 in committee. This bill grants certain sums of money to Her Majesty for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. The bill subsequently received royal assent on the same day.
The House of Commons debated and passed a motion to adjourn until April 20, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included procedural steps to advance Bill C-10 and other legislation.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons considered the report stage of Bill C-10. This stage involved a debate about the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a motion to adjourn Parliament until April 20, 2020. The motion agreed to by the House suspended regular proceedings and included specific provisions for financial matters and the passage of several bills, including Bill C-10, through various stages without full debate. The debate also included statements from different parties expressing solidarity and concern regarding the pandemic, and outlining their roles during the adjournment.
The report stage of Bill C-10 in the House of Commons was completed on March 13, 2020, after which the bill received Royal Assent.
This artifact describes the report stage of Bill C-10 in the House of Commons on March 13, 2020. The report stage was completed on this date. The bill subsequently received Royal Assent on the same day.
During a special sitting on March 13, 2020, the House of Commons, while acknowledging the COVID-19 pandemic, passed Bill C-10 and other essential government business "on division" before adjourning until April 20, 2020.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons met to address matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sitting included statements from various Members of Parliament (MPs) from different parties, who expressed solidarity and discussed the importance of social distancing and government preparedness. The House agreed to a motion to adjourn until April 20, 2020, with specific provisions for essential government business, including the passage of certain appropriation bills and other legislative matters, to be handled "on division" (meaning without a recorded vote). Bill C-10, an Act for granting certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, was among the bills that proceeded through various stages, including report stage concurrence, and was ultimately passed "on division" during this sitting.
Bill C-10 completed its Third Reading in the House of Commons on March 13, 2020, and received Royal Assent on the same day.
This record shows that Bill C-10 completed its Third Reading stage in the House of Commons on March 13, 2020. The bill subsequently received Royal Assent on the same day, becoming a law.
On March 13, 2020, the House of Commons debated and passed Bill C-10 (Appropriation Act No. 4, 2019-20) on division as part of an agreement to adjourn the House due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This record details the House of Commons' third reading debate and passing of Bill C-10 on March 13, 2020. The sitting was marked by discussions related to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. All parties agreed to a motion to adjourn the House until April 20, 2020, to ensure the health and safety of members and staff, while also establishing procedures for ongoing government business, including the passing of supply bills and other legislation. Bill C-10, an act to grant certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, was deemed to have been read a third time and passed on division as part of this agreement.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Royal assent yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Debates of the Senate yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
No published representative vote breakdown
The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced