Hon. H. A. BRUCE (Parkdale) moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 7, to amend the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1940.
He said: This is a reintroduction of a bill which was not reached last session. The purpose of this bill is to provide that the Unemployment Insurance Commission created* by the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1940, shall cooperate with other authorities in the dominion or provinces for the purpose of collecting information concerning any plan for providing medical care or compensation in cases of ill health.
These provisions were found in the Employment and Social Insurance Act, chapter 38 of the statutes of 1935. This act, having been declared to be ultra vires by majority of the supreme court, and subsequently by a judgment of the privy council delivered January 28, 1937, was repealed in 1940 by section 103 of chapter 44 of the statutes of that year, being the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1940.
The competency of parliament to legislate in regard to unemployment insurance has been now settled by the amendment to the British North America Act of 1940. It is highly desirable to reintroduce these health provisions into our dominion law.