Bill S-237 explained in plain English
An Act respecting measures in relation to the financial stability of post-secondary institutions
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 2nd 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 S-237 proposes a federal strategy for the financial stability of post-secondary institutions and amends bankruptcy laws to exclude them from certain corporate definitions.
This bill, titled the Post-Secondary Institutions Bankruptcy Protection Act, proposes the creation of a federal plan to ensure the financial stability of post-secondary institutions. It also amends the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act to exclude certain post-secondary educational institutions from their definitions of 'corporation' and 'company'. The Minister, designated by the Governor in Council, is responsible for developing this proposal through consultation and presenting it to Parliament within one year of the relevant sections coming into force.
- Requires the Minister to develop a proposal for federal initiatives to support the financial stability of post-secondary institutions.
- Ensures the proposal includes measures to protect students, faculty, and staff if an institution becomes bankrupt or insolvent.
- Mandates consultation with institutions, provincial/municipal governments, and student/faculty/staff groups when developing the proposal.
- Requires the proposal to include a list of legislative amendments and a timeline for their introduction.
- Sets a one-year deadline for the preparation of the proposal after the relevant section comes into force.
- Requires the proposal to be tabled in Parliament and made public.
- Amends the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to exclude specific post-secondary educational institutions from the definition of 'corporation'.
- Amends the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act to exclude specific post-secondary educational institutions from the definition of 'company'.
- Specifies that amendments to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act come into force by order of the Governor in Council, based on the Minister's recommendation.
- Allows the Minister to recommend the commencement of these amendments only if it aligns with the developed proposal.
- Post-secondary educational institutions that receive public funding for ongoing educational services.
- Students, faculty, and staff of post-secondary institutions.
- Provincial and municipal governments.
- The Minister designated for the purposes of the Act.
- The Governor in Council.
- Parliament (Senate and House of Commons).
- The Minister has an obligation to develop a proposal for federal initiatives to ensure the financial stability of post-secondary institutions.
- The Minister has an obligation to consult with specific groups when developing the proposal.
- The Minister has an obligation to table the proposal in Parliament and make it public.
- Post-secondary institutions receiving public funds for educational services gain protection from being defined as 'corporations' or 'companies' under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, respectively.
- The preparation of the proposal must be completed no later than one year after the day on which section 4 (Proposal) comes into force.
- Sections 5 and 6 (amendments to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act) come into force on a day or days to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.
- The specific criteria for designating institutions on the 'Master List of Designated Educational Institutions' or 'Master List of Certified Educational Institutions' are not detailed in the bill, only that they are published by the Government of Canada.
- The specific criteria for the 'Directory of Educational Institutions and Programs' published by the Government of Quebec are not detailed in the bill.
- The bill does not specify what 'federal initiatives' will be included in the proposal.
- The bill does not specify the exact nature of the legislative amendments that may be introduced as part of the proposal.
- The specific day or days on which sections 5 and 6 will come into force are not yet determined, as they are subject to an order of the Governor in Council.
The definition of 'corporation' will be changed to exclude post-secondary educational institutions that receive public funds for educational services. This means these specific institutions will no longer be subject to the provisions of this Act as corporations.
Source: Section 5
The definition of 'company' will be changed to exclude post-secondary educational institutions that receive public funds for educational services. This means these specific institutions will no longer be subject to the provisions of this Act as companies.
Source: Section 6
This is the new Act that establishes the framework for creating a proposal for federal initiatives to ensure the financial stability of post-secondary institutions.
Source: General
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 textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
During a June 15, 2021 Senate sitting, Bill S-237 concerning post-secondary institution financial stability was introduced, while extensive debate occurred on Bill C-15 regarding Indigenous rights and Bill S-5 concerning judicial conduct.
On June 15, 2021, the Senate of Canada convened for a sitting that included tributes to departing pages, statements by senators on various topics, and the tabling and introduction of several bills. Notably, Bill S-237, an Act respecting measures in relation to the financial stability of post-secondary institutions, was introduced and received first reading. The sitting also featured extensive debate on Bill C-15, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the consideration and voting down of an amendment proposed by Senator Carignan. The Senate also debated Bill S-5, an Act to amend the Judges Act.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading 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 is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
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