Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. G-2)

Marginal note:Regulations

24 The Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister, made after consultation between the Minister and the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, make regulations

• (a) specifying the place where service of documents on the parliamentary entities must be effected in connection with garnishment proceedings permitted by this Division;

• (a.1) respecting methods of service of documents and providing for the day on which service of documents on the parliamentary entities is deemed to be effected;

• (b) deeming, for the purposes of the definition salary in section 16, any amount to be or to have been excluded from a person’s salary;

• (b.1) specifying periods and circumstances for the purpose of subsection 18(3); and

• (c) prescribing any other matters that are by this Division to be prescribed.

Marginal note:Information to be made available to public

25 The Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons shall cause information on the manner of commencing garnishment proceedings permitted by this Division to be made available throughout Canada in such a manner that the public will have reasonable access thereto.

Marginal note:No execution

26 No execution shall issue on an order made against a parliamentary entity in garnishment proceedings permitted by this Part.

DIVISION VGeneral

Marginal note:Inconsistency between federal and provincial law

27 In the event of any inconsistency between this Part, any other Act of Parliament or a regulation made under this Part or under any other Act of Parliament, and the provincial garnishment law, the provincial garnishment law is overridden to the extent of the inconsistency.

Marginal note:Ranking of Her Majesty

27.1 Her Majesty ranks in priority over the party that instituted the garnishment proceedings permitted under this Part with respect to any moneys that are payable to the debtor even though a garnishee summons in respect of those moneys has been served on Her Majesty or a parliamentary entity and the amount of the indebtedness may be recovered or retained in any manner authorized by law when a debtor is indebted

• (a) to Her Majesty; or

• (b) to Her Majesty in right of a province on account of taxes payable to any province and an agreement exists between Canada and the province under which Canada is authorized to collect the tax on the province’s behalf.

Marginal note:Priority of garnishee summons

27.2 Subject to section 27.1, in the application of this Part, a garnishee summons for a maintenance, alimony or support obligation shall be honoured before any other garnishee summons.

Marginal note:No execution against Her Majesty

28 No execution shall issue on an order made against Her Majesty in garnishment proceedings permitted by this Part.

Marginal note:Regulations

29 The Governor in Council may,

• (a) on the recommendation of the Minister, make regulations generally for carrying out the purposes and provisions of Divisions I, II and III; and

• (b) on the recommendation of the Minister, made after consultation between the Minister and the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, make regulations generally for carrying out the purposes and provisions of Division IV.

Marginal note:Prohibition

30 No employee shall be dismissed, suspended or laid off solely on the ground that garnishment proceedings permitted by this Part may be or have been taken with respect to that employee.

PART IIDiversion of Pension Benefits to Satisfy Financial Support Orders

Application of Part

Marginal note:Application

31 This Part applies only in respect of the enforcement of financial support orders against pension benefits that are payable under the enactments listed in the schedule.

Interpretation

Marginal note:Definitions

• 32 (1) In this Part,

  applicant

  applicant means a person by or on behalf of whom an application is made to the Minister for a diversion of a pension benefit under this Part; (requérant)

  application

  application[Repealed, 2019, c. 16, s. 105]

  financial support order

  financial support order means, subject to subsection (2), an order, judgment, decision or agreement for maintenance, alimony or support — whether interim or final — that is enforceable in a province; (ordonnance de soutien financier)

  Her Majesty

  Her Majesty means Her Majesty in right of Canada; (Sa Majesté)

  Minister

  Minister means the Minister or Ministers designated under section 40.2; (ministre)

  net pension benefit

  net pension benefit means a pension benefit minus the prescribed deductions; (prestation nette de pension)

  pension benefit

  pension benefit means

  • (a) any of the following benefits payable under an enactment that is listed in the schedule:

    • (i) a pension,

    • (ii) an annual allowance,

    • (iii) an annuity,

    • (iv) a lump sum return of pension contributions, including interest, if any,

    • (v) a gratuity,

    • (vi) a cash termination allowance,

    • (vii) a withdrawal allowance, including interest, if any,

    • (viii) a transfer value, or

    • (ix) a bridge benefit, and

  • (b) any benefit payable under the Supplementary Retirement Benefits Act or the Public Service Pension Adjustment Act, chapter P-33 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1970, in respect of a pension, annual allowance or annuity referred to in paragraph (a); (prestation de pension)

  prescribed

  prescribed means prescribed by regulation made under this Part; (prescrit ou réglementaire)

  provincial enforcement service

  provincial enforcement service has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act; (autorité provinciale)

  recipient

  recipient means

  • (a) in respect of a benefit referred to in any of subparagraphs (a)(i) to (vii) of the definition pension benefit, a child or other person to whom the benefit is immediately payable, but does not include a child or other person whose entitlement to the benefit is based on their status as a survivor of the person who was originally entitled to the benefit or would have been entitled to it had death not intervened, or

  • (b) in respect of a benefit referred to in subparagraph (a)(viii) or (ix) of the definition pension benefit, a person who is entitled to the benefit. (prestataire)

• Marginal note:Financial support order

  (2) For the purposes of this Part, the Minister shall disregard a component of a financial support order the dollar value of which cannot be readily ascertained from the financial support order itself or from the Minister’s records relating to the recipient’s pension benefit.

• Marginal note:Interpretation of the provincial law

  (3) With respect to the expression “the law of that province” in paragraphs 36(c) and (e), where the law of the province refers to the percentage or the maximum percentage of a pension that is to be or may be garnisheed, attached or diverted, the reference to “pension”, or equivalent expression, in the law of the province shall be construed, for the purpose of this Part, to mean “net pension benefit” as defined in this section.

• Marginal note:Interpretation of financial support orders

  (4) Where a financial support order is expressed in terms of a percentage of a recipient’s pension, the reference to “pension”, or equivalent expression, in the financial support order shall be construed, for the purpose of this Part, to mean “net pension benefit” as defined in this section.

Conditions for Diversion of Pension Benefits

Marginal note:Application for diversion

• 33 (1) Subject to this Part and the regulations, a person named in a financial support order may make an application to the Minister for diversion of a pension benefit payable to a recipient if

  • (a) the order is valid and subsisting; and

  • (b) the person against whom the order has been made is a recipient.

• Marginal note:Representation

  (2) The application may be made, in accordance with the regulations, on behalf of a person by any other person or by a provincial enforcement service.

• Marginal note:Contents of application

  (2.1) The application must contain the prescribed information and be accompanied by the prescribed documents.

• Marginal note:Arrears of maintenance, alimony or support

  (2.2) A provincial enforcement service may, in respect of an application referred to in subsection (1), submit a document to the Minister that sets out a recipient’s arrears of maintenance, alimony or support and any prescribed information.

• Marginal note:Diversion of pension benefits

  (3) The Minister shall, not later than the first day of the fourth month after the month in which the Minister receives the duly completed application, divert an amount or amounts computed in accordance with sections 36 to 40 and the regulations from any net pension benefit that is payable to the recipient named in the application, and any amount so diverted shall be paid, subject to subsection (4), to the applicant, to any other person designated for that purpose in the financial support order or to a provincial enforcement service if the law of the province permits payment to it.

• Marginal note:Where applicant under 18 years of age

  (4) Where, pursuant to this section, a diverted amount is to be paid to an applicant who is under eighteen years of age, payment thereof shall instead be made to the person having the custody and control of that applicant or, where there is no person having custody and control of that applicant, to such person as the Minister may direct.