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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)40th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill 126 explained in plain English

Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Amendment Act (Pre-Election Reports), 2013

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
40th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill 126
Full title
Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Amendment Act (Pre-Election Reports), 2013
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
Last updated
Nov 21, 2013

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
Latest Activity
Nov 21, 2013
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

The Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Amendment Act (Pre-Election Reports), 2013 amends the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, 2004 to change the timing requirements for pre-election financial reports and the Auditor General's review of them.

What It Means

This bill changes the rules for when pre-election financial reports must be released by the Ontario government. It also clarifies the role of the Auditor General in reviewing these reports. The goal is to make financial information more available around election times.

What This Bill Does
  • It requires the Minister of Finance to release a pre-election report on Ontario's finances within 30 days after the Budget motion is moved, in years when a general election is scheduled.
  • It requires the Minister of Finance to release a pre-election report within seven days after an election writ is issued for a snap election (an election not held on a fixed date).
  • It requires the Auditor General to review pre-election reports and release a statement on their reasonableness.
  • It specifies that the Auditor General must review reports for fixed-date elections promptly and release a statement.
  • It specifies that for snap elections, the Auditor General must review the report promptly and release a statement either before the election, if possible, or within a reasonable time after the election.
  • It states that the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • The Minister of Finance
  • The Ministry of Finance
  • The Auditor General of Ontario
  • The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • The public during election periods
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The Minister of Finance is obligated to release pre-election financial reports within specific timelines before an election.
  • The Auditor General has the right and obligation to review pre-election financial reports and release findings.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
  • Pre-election reports are due 30 days after the Budget motion in years with fixed elections.
  • Pre-election reports are due seven days after the writ is issued in snap election years.
  • The Auditor General must release statements within a reasonable time after snap elections, if not before.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify what constitutes a 'reasonable time' for the Auditor General's report after a snap election.
  • The bill relies on the Election Act for definitions and procedures related to elections, which are not detailed within this bill.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, 2004
amends

This bill amends Section 10 of the Act, which deals with pre-election financial reports and the Auditor General's review.

Source: Section 1

Subsection 10 (1) of the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, 2004
repeals and substitutes

The original requirement for releasing pre-election reports is replaced with new specific timelines based on whether the election is a fixed-date election or a snap election.

Source: Section 1 (1)

Subsection 10 (3) of the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, 2004
repeals and substitutes

The Auditor General's duty to review pre-election reports is re-enacted with modifications to specify different review and reporting timelines depending on the type of election (fixed-date vs. snap election).

Source: Section 1 (2)

Election Act
references

The bill refers to the Election Act for the issuance of writs for elections and for the definition of fixed-date elections.

Source: Section 1 (1), 1 (1.1)

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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Nov 4, 2013
Step 2
Second reading
Nov 21, 2013
Step 3
Committee review
Nov 21, 2013
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Laurie Scott
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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