Debts, obligations and claims written off or forgiven
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The types of approval/authority for the write-off or forgiveness (including waiver and remission) of debts, obligations and claims are as follows:
- Ministerial approval
Ministerial approval represents authority given to Ministers under the Financial Administration Act (FAA) or other Acts of Parliament as follows:- Section 25(1) of the FAA gives Ministers, through Treasury Board regulations, general authority to approve the write-off of any debt, obligation or claim other than accountable advances or overpayments of salaries, wages, or employment-related allowances that would not result in a charge to an appropriation.
- Section 155.1(4) of the FAA gives Ministers, through Treasury Board regulations, authority to waive interest on overdue amounts owing to Her Majesty and to waive administrative charges for dishonoured instruments (e.g. NSF cheques) imposed under section 155.1 of the FAA. (e.g. NSF cheques) imposed under section 155.1 of the FAA.
- Other Acts of Parliament (e.g. Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act) give Ministers general authority to approve the write-off or forgiveness of specific debts, obligations or claims.
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Treasury Board approval
Section 25(1) of the FAA, through Treasury Board regulations, allows a Minister, with specific Treasury Board approval, to write-off any debt, obligation or claim arising from accountable advances or overpayments of salaries, wages or employment-related allowances that would not result in a charge to an appropriation.
- Governor in Council and Parliamentary authority
- Section 23(2.1) of the FAA states that the Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board, remit any other debt, including any interest paid or payable thereon, where the Governor in Council considers that the collection of the other debt is unreasonable or unjust or that it is otherwise in the public interest to remit the other debt.
- Section 24.1 of the FAA requires that where a debt or obligation included in the Statement of Financial Position is to be forgiven, and which would result in a charge to an appropriation, the amount to be forgiven must be authorized pursuant to an Act of Parliament, including an Appropriation Act.
- Section 25(2) of the FAA requires that where a debt, obligation or claim included in the Statement of Financial Position is to be written off, and which would result in a charge to an appropriation, the amount to be written off must be authorized by Parliament as a budgetary expenditure in an Appropriation Act or some other Act.
The following codes are used:
Codes
- Write-off
- Forgiveness
- Remission
- Waiver
| Description | CodeLink to footnote 1 | Ministerial approval | Treasury Board approval | Governor in Council and Parliamentary authority | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Amount | Number | Amount | Vote number or Act | Number | Amount | Number | Amount | ||
| Financial Administration Act | ||||||||||
| Agriculture and Agri-Food | ||||||||||
| Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food | A | 248 | 19,560,797 | – | – | – | – | – | 248 | 19,560,797 |
| Canadian Grain Commission | A | 6 | 1,003 | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 1,003 |
| Canadian Heritage | ||||||||||
| Library and Archives of Canada | A | 3 | 168 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 168 |
| Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs | ||||||||||
| Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development | A | 6 | 3,844,187 | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 3,844,187 |
| Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs | A/B | 12 | 124,987 | – | – | – | 98 | 914,022,919 | 110 | 914,147,906 |
| Environment and Climate Change | ||||||||||
| Department of the Environment | A/D | 97 | 42,682 | – | – | – | – | – | 97 | 42,682 |
| Parks Canada Agency | A | 14 | 72,616 | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 72,616 |
| Families, Children and Social Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Employment and Social Development | A/C/D | 10,891 | 45,595,431 | – | – | /90bLink to footnote 2 | 32,906 | 179,127,905 | 43,797 | 224,723,336 |
| Finance | ||||||||||
| Department of Finance | C | – | – | – | – | Link to footnote 2 | 2 | 26,814,570 | 2 | 26,814,570 |
| Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada | A | 5 | 77,693 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 77,693 |
| Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard | ||||||||||
| Department of Fisheries and Oceans | A/D | 105 | 1,114,740 | – | – | – | – | – | 105 | 1,114,740 |
| Global Affairs | ||||||||||
| Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development | A | 55 | 446,838 | – | – | – | – | – | 55 | 446,838 |
| Health | ||||||||||
| Department of Health | A/C | 98 | 302,353 | – | – | Link to footnote 2 | 3 | 69,000 | 101 | 371,353 |
| Canadian Food Inspection Agency | A | 69 | 46,103 | – | – | – | – | – | 69 | 46,103 |
| Canadian Institutes of Health Research | A | 7 | 36,079 | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 36,079 |
| Public Health Agency of Canada | A | 33 | 130,444 | – | – | – | – | – | 33 | 130,444 |
| Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship | ||||||||||
| Department of Citizenship and Immigration | A | 3,397 | 522,375 | – | – | – | – | – | 3,397 | 522,375 |
| Indigenous Services | ||||||||||
| Department of Indigenous Services | A | 26 | 1,224,751 | – | – | – | – | – | 26 | 1,224,751 |
| Innovation, Science and Economic Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Industry | A/D | 145 | 1,111,319 | – | – | – | – | – | 145 | 1,111,319 |
| Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | D | 26 | 1,867 | – | – | – | – | – | 26 | 1,867 |
| Department of Western Economic Diversification | A/D | 2 | 250,049 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 250,049 |
| Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec | A/D | 33 | 12,495,110 | – | – | – | – | – | 33 | 12,495,110 |
| Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | A | 3 | 9,171,409 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 9,171,409 |
| National Research Council of Canada | A | 9 | 910,425 | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 910,425 |
| Statistics Canada | A/D | 78 | 3,162 | – | – | – | – | – | 78 | 3,162 |
| Justice | ||||||||||
| Department of Justice | A/C | 20 | 118,078 | – | – | Link to footnote 2 | 65,331 | 11,123,317 | 65,351 | 11,241,395 |
| Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada | A | 2 | 150 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 150 |
| National Defence | ||||||||||
| Department of National Defence | A | 211 | 2,506,628 | – | – | – | – | – | 211 | 2,506,628 |
| National Revenue | ||||||||||
| Canada Revenue Agency | A | 1,211,742 | 3,157,766,234 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,211,742 | 3,157,766,234 |
| Natural Resources | ||||||||||
| Department of Natural Resources | A/D | 14 | 9,170 | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 9,170 |
| Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission | A | 1 | 1,272 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1,272 |
| Privy council | ||||||||||
| Office of the Chief Electoral Officer | A | 7 | 31,689 | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 31,689 |
| Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness | ||||||||||
| Canada Border Services Agency | A | 293 | 18,844,169 | – | – | – | – | – | 293 | 18,844,169 |
| Canadian Security Intelligence Service | D | 9 | 569 | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 569 |
| Correctional Service of Canada | A | 70 | 19,724 | – | – | – | – | – | 70 | 19,724 |
| Royal Canadian Mounted Police | A | 2 | 1,100 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1,100 |
| Public Services and Procurement | ||||||||||
| Department of Public Works and Government Services | A | 67 | 2,531,483 | – | – | – | – | – | 67 | 2,531,483 |
| Transport | ||||||||||
| Department of Transport | A | 20 | 5,219 | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | 5,219 |
| Veterans Affairs | ||||||||||
| Department of Veterans Affairs | A | 201 | 504,060 | – | – | – | – | – | 201 | 504,060 |
| Subtotal | 1,228,027 | 3,279,426,133 | – | – | – | 98,340 | 1,131,157,711 | 1,326,367 | 4,410,583,844 | |
| Apprentice Loans Act | ||||||||||
| Families, Children and Social Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Employment and Social Development | B | 452 | 93,713 | – | – | – | – | – | 452 | 93,713 |
| Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act | ||||||||||
| National Revenue | ||||||||||
| Canada Revenue Agency | A | 21,769 | 304,195,314 | – | – | – | – | – | 21,769 | 304,195,314 |
| Canada Small Business Financing Act | ||||||||||
| Innovation, Science and Economic Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Industry | A | 620 | 41,295,084 | – | – | – | – | – | 620 | 41,295,084 |
| Canada Student Financial Assistance Act | ||||||||||
| Families, Children and Social Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Employment and Social Development | B | 341,541 | 371,074,479 | – | – | – | – | – | 341,541 | 371,074,479 |
| Canada Student Loans Act | ||||||||||
| Families, Children and Social Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Employment and Social Development | B | 187 | 2,041,103 | – | – | – | – | – | 187 | 2,041,103 |
| Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act | ||||||||||
| Health | ||||||||||
| Canadian Food Inspection Agency | C | 11,477 | 1,127,248 | – | – | – | – | – | 11,477 | 1,127,248 |
| Customs Act | ||||||||||
| Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness | ||||||||||
| Canada Border Services Agency | D | 204 | 2,398,402 | – | – | – | – | – | 204 | 2,398,402 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs Act | ||||||||||
| Veterans Affairs | ||||||||||
| Department of Veterans Affairs | B | 7 | 20,548 | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 20,548 |
| Employment Insurance Act | ||||||||||
| Families, Children and Social Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Employment and Social Development | A | 82,029 | 71,666,246 | – | – | – | – | – | 82,029 | 71,666,246 |
| Excise Tax Act | ||||||||||
| National Revenue | ||||||||||
| Canada Revenue Agency Link to footnote 3 | B | 6,461 | 104,592,254 | – | – | – | – | – | 6,461 | 104,592,254 |
| Immigration and Refugee Protection Act | ||||||||||
| Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship | ||||||||||
| Department of Citizenship and Immigration | D | 2 | 200 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 200 |
| Income Tax Act | ||||||||||
| National Revenue | ||||||||||
| Canada Revenue Agency Link to footnote 3 | B/D | 507,508 | 449,468,334 | – | – | – | – | – | 507,508 | 449,468,334 |
| Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Act | ||||||||||
| Finance | ||||||||||
| Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions | A | 5 | 2,150 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 2,150 |
| Old Age Security Act | ||||||||||
| Families, Children and Social Development | ||||||||||
| Department of Employment and Social Development | C | 7,054 | 10,291,336 | – | – | – | – | – | 7,054 | 10,291,336 |
| Pension Act | ||||||||||
| Veterans Affairs | ||||||||||
| Department of Veterans Affairs | B | 28 | 257,374 | – | – | – | – | – | 28 | 257,374 |
| Veterans Well-being Act | ||||||||||
| Veterans Affairs | ||||||||||
| Department of Veterans Affairs | B | 58 | 1,046,824 | – | – | – | – | – | 58 | 1,046,824 |
| Total | 2,207,429 | 4,638,996,742 | – | – | – | 98,340 | 1,131,157,711 | 2,305,769 | 5,770,154,453 | |
| Summary | ||||||||||
| Write-offs | A | 1,332,126 | 3,696,336,105 | – | – | – | 32,905 | 179,127,425 | 1,365,031 | 3,875,463,530 |
| Forgiveness | B | 385,441 | 772,421,074 | – | – | – | 98 | 914,022,919 | 385,539 | 1,686,443,993 |
| Remissions | C | 18,531 | 11,418,584 | – | – | – | 65,337 | 38,007,367 | 83,868 | 49,425,951 |
| Waivers | D | 471,331 | 158,820,979 | – | – | – | – | – | 471,331 | 158,820,979 |
| Total | 2,207,429 | 4,638,996,742 | – | – | – | 98,340 | 1,131,157,711 | 2,305,769 | 5,770,154,453 | |
Public Accounts of Canada 2020 Volume III—Bottom of the page Navigation
- Previous page: Remissions of taxes, fees, penalties and other debts
- Section 2: Table of contents: Section 2: Supplementary information required by the Financial Administration Act
- Next page: Accountable advances
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