As Canada's senators continue to work through several government bills that got the green light in parliament and still need royal assent, another one made it through.
Bill C-208 received royal assent this week. It makes significant changes for property owners, like farmers, that want to sell their business or land to family members. The bill applies to the sale of qualified small businesses to siblings. It will also make it easier to sell a family business to children and grandchildren who are 18 years of age or older. Before this bill, tax laws favoured broker principals who sold their brokerages to strangers instead of their own family members.
One important bill that was left for another day by vacationing senators was Bill C-206. That was the private members bill aimed at making propane and natural gas exempt from the federal carbon tax when used on farm for things like grain dryers. The bill, introduced about a year ago by Ontario Tory MP Phillip Lawrence had overwhelming support from the other opposition parties, including the Green party, and easily sailed through 1st and 2nd reading, and more recently passed third reading in the Commons. Now it sits on the order table in the upper chamber until Senators return just as summer ends on September 21st. However, if the federal Liberals, which were the only party to vote against the bill, call an election sometime this summer, Bill C-206 will die where it sits, as the slate is wiped clean.
In recent weeks the federal Liberals have offered grants and rebates to help producers find more efficient ways to dry their grain but have offered no relief on the carbon tax.
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