Bill 59 explained in plain English
Caregiver Recognition Act, 2018
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Caregiver Recognition Act, 2018, establishes general principles for recognizing and supporting caregivers in Ontario and proclaims a day each year to recognize them, without creating legally enforceable obligations.
This Act, called the Caregiver Recognition Act, 2018, aims to increase recognition and awareness of caregivers in Ontario. It defines what a 'caregiver' and 'caregiver supports' are, and sets out general principles for how caregivers should be treated and supported. The Act proclaims the first Tuesday of April each year as "Caregiver Recognition Day." Ministries and government agencies are permitted, but not required, to promote these general principles and consider them when developing or evaluating programs and services for caregivers. The Act also states that it does not create legally enforceable rights or duties.
- Enacts the Caregiver Recognition Act, 2018.
- Defines the terms 'caregiver', 'caregiver supports', and 'government agency'.
- Sets out general principles relating to caregivers in a Schedule.
- Proclaims the first Tuesday of April each year as Caregiver Recognition Day.
- Allows ministries and government agencies to promote awareness of the general principles.
- Allows ministries and government agencies to consider the general principles when developing, implementing, providing, or evaluating caregiver supports.
- States that the Act does not create legally enforceable rights or duties.
- States that failure to comply with the Act does not affect the validity of any action or decision, or provide grounds for review or challenge.
- Allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations concerning the Act.
- Caregivers (defined as family members, friends, or persons of choice providing unpaid care)
- Individuals receiving care
- Ministries in the Ontario government
- Government agencies in Ontario
- The Act states it does not create legally enforceable rights or duties for anyone. (Section 6(1))
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent. (Section 8)
- The first Tuesday of April in each year is proclaimed as Caregiver Recognition Day. (Section 3)
- The Act states that a failure to comply with its provisions does not affect the validity of any action or decision, nor can it be a ground for review or challenge of any action or decision. (Section 6(2))
- The Act specifies that it does not create legally enforceable rights or duties. (Section 6(1))
- The Act clarifies that it does not override other legislation requiring ministries or government agencies to consider specific matters. (Section 6(3))
- The scope of 'government agency' can be further defined by regulations. (Section 7(a))
- The Act permits ministries and agencies to promote principles and consider them, but does not require them to do so. (Sections 4 and 5)
This Act establishes principles for recognizing and supporting caregivers in Ontario and proclaims a day for their recognition.
Source: Section 1
These principles, listed in the Schedule, relate to recognizing and respecting the caregiver role, acknowledging their contributions, supporting their well-being, and ensuring they are treated with dignity and respect.
Source: Section 2 and Schedule
The first Tuesday of April each year is officially designated as Caregiver Recognition Day.
Source: Section 3
Ministries and government agencies are permitted to take measures to promote awareness of the general principles and to consider these principles when developing or evaluating caregiver supports. This is not a legal requirement.
Source: Sections 4 and 5
The Act explicitly states that it does not create legally enforceable rights or duties, and failure to comply does not affect the validity or provide grounds for challenging any action or decision.
Source: Section 6
The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations to prescribe entities for the definition of 'government agency', define terms not already defined in the Act, or address other necessary matters.
Source: Section 7
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.
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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