Legislative summaries

  1. Legislative Summary of Bill C-11: An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts

    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c11-e.pdf (932.7 KB)
    This bill amends the Broadcasting Act to, among other things, add online undertakings — undertakings for the transmission or retransmission of programs over the Internet — as a distinct class of broadcasting undertakings; specify that the Act does not apply in respect of programs uploaded to an online undertaking that provides a social media service by a user of the service, unless the programs are prescribed by regulation; update the broadcasting policy for Canada by, among other things, providing that the Canadian broadcasting system should serve the needs and interests of all Canadians, including Canadians from racialized communities and Canadians of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, abilities and disabilities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and ages, and provide opportunities to Indigenous persons, programming that reflects Indigenous cultures and that is in Indigenous languages, and programming that is accessible without barriers to persons with disabilities; enhance the vitality of English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society, including by supporting the production and broadcasting of original programs in both languages. In addition, this bill gives the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission the power to impose administrative monetary penalties when certain violations are committed.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Cultural expressions
    Cultural policy
    Digital broadcasting
    Digital television
    Indigenous languages
    Official languages
    Social media
    Statutes

  2. Legislative Summary of Bill C-9: An Act to amend the Judges Act

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c9-e.pdf (944.69 KB)
    By replacing the existing complaints process regarding alleged misconduct with a new system, Bill C-9 changes how complaints against federally appointed judges are handled. The existing process was established in 1971 under the Judges Act, which defines the criteria for removing a judge from office and prescribes certain other requirements; procedural elements of the complaints process are largely set out in Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) policy documents and by-laws.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Complaint management
    Disciplinary procedures against employees
    Federally appointed judges
    Statutes
    Termination of employment

  3. Legislative Summary of Bill C-8: An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c8-e.pdf (1.05 MB)
    This bill consists of the following seven parts. Part 1 amends the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations in order to: introduce a new refundable tax credit for eligible businesses on qualifying ventilation expenses made to improve air quality; expand the travel component of the northern residents deduction; expand the School Supplies Tax Credit and expand the eligibility criteria to include electronic devices used by eligible educators; and introduce a new refundable tax credit to return fuel charge proceeds to farming businesses in backstop jurisdictions. Part 2 enacts the Underused Housing Tax Act, which implements an annual tax on the value of vacant or underused residential property directly or indirectly owned by non-resident non-Canadians. Part 3 provides for a six-year limitation or prescription period for the recovery of amounts owing with respect to a loan provided under the Canada Emergency Business Account program established by Export Development Canada. Part 4 authorizes payments to be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purpose of supporting ventilation improvement projects in schools. Part 5 authorizes payments to be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purpose of supporting coronavirus disease 2019 proof-of-vaccination initiatives. Part 6 authorizes the Minister of Health to make payments out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund in relation to coronavirus disease 2019 tests. Part 7 amends the Employment Insurance Act to specify the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid in a benefit period to certain seasonal workers.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Corporate income taxes
    COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-
    Federal budget
    Housing
    Medical screening
    Personal income taxes
    Statutes
    Tax credits

  4. Legislative Summary of Bill C-3: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canada Labour Code

    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c3-e.pdf (945.12 KB)
    This bill amends the Criminal Code to, among other things, create an offence of intimidating a person in order to impede them from obtaining health services, intimidating a health professional in order to impede them in the performance of their duties or intimidating a person who assists a health professional in order to impede the person in providing that assistance; create an offence of obstructing or interfering with a person’s lawful access to a place at which health services are provided, subject to a defence of attending at the place for the purpose only of obtaining or communicating information; and add the commission of an offence against a person who was providing health services and the commission of an offence that had the effect of impeding another person from obtaining health services as aggravating sentencing factors for any offence. It also amends the Canada Labour Code to, among other things, repeal the personal leave that an employee may take to treat their illness or injury; provide that an employee may earn and take up to 10 days of medical leave of absence with pay in a calendar year; and authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations to modify, in certain circumstances, the provisions respecting medical leave of absence with pay.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Criminal law
    Intimidation
    Labour law
    Offences
    Paid sick leaves
    Statutes
    Working conditions

  5. Legislative Summary of Bill C-5: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c5-e.pdf (1.06 MB)
    This bill removes mandatory minimum sentences of imprisonment prescribed for certain Criminal Code offences relating to firearms and other weapons and the unauthorized sale of tobacco and tobacco products; removes all mandatory minimum sentences of imprisonment prescribed for offences within the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA); removes limitations placed on the use of conditional sentences of imprisonment; and amends the CDSA to require peace officers and prosecutors to consider diverting people to treatment programs or other support services rather than charging or prosecuting them for simple drug-possession offences.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Addiction
    Conditional sentences
    Criminal law
    Firearm offences
    Harm reduction
    Illegal drug use
    Imprisonment
    Minimum sentences
    Narcotic control
    Possession of a controlled substance
    Statutes
    Substance abuse prevention

  6. Legislative Summary of Bill C-7: An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts

    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c7-e.pdf (4.02 MB)
    This bill proposes amendments to provisions of the Parliament of Canada Act on additional annual allowances paid to senators who occupy certain positions. It also proposes amendments to the Act that permit these senators to change the membership of the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA), and it requires that they be consulted on the appointment of certain officers and agents of Parliament. These senators are: the Leader of the Government in the Senate or the Government Representative in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and the leader or facilitator of every other recognized party or parliamentary group in the Senate. The bill further proposes a consequential amendment to the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act, as well as related amendments to several other Acts, including the Access to Information Act, the Emergencies Act and the Lobbying Act.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Appointments
    Officers of Parliament
    Salaries
    Senators
    Statutes

  7. Legislative Summary of Bill C-4: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy)

    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-c4-e.pdf (1013.87 KB)
    This bill amends the Criminal Code to, among other things, create the following offences: (a) causing another person to undergo conversion therapy; (b) doing anything for the purpose of removing a child from Canada with the intention that the child undergo conversion therapy outside Canada; (c) promoting or advertising conversion therapy; and (d) receiving a financial or other material benefit from the provision of conversion therapy. It also amends the Criminal Code to authorize courts to order that advertisements for conversion therapy be disposed of or deleted.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Advertising
    Criminalization
    Gender identity and expression
    Offences
    Psychotherapy
    Sexual orientation
    Statutes

  8. Legislative Summary of Bill S-2: An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts

    Legislative Summary
    44-1
    44-1-s2-e.pdf (4.02 MB)
    This bill amends the Parliament of Canada Act and makes consequential and related amendments to other Acts to, among other things, change the additional annual allowances that are paid to senators who occupy certain positions so that the government’s representatives and the Opposition in the Senate are eligible for the allowances for five positions each and the three other recognized parties or parliamentary groups in the Senate with the greatest number of members are eligible for the allowances for four positions each; provide that the Leader of the Government in the Senate or Government Representative in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and the Leader or Facilitator of every other recognized party or parliamentary group in the Senate are to be consulted on the appointment of certain officers and agents of Parliament; and provide that the Leader of the Government in the Senate or Government Representative in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and the Leader or Facilitator of every other recognized party or parliamentary group in the Senate may change the membership of the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Appointments
    Officers of Parliament
    Salaries
    Senators
    Statutes

  9. Legislative Summary of Bill C-208: An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (transfer of small business or family farm or fishing corporation)

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    pv_43-2-c208-e.pdf (943.85 KB)
    This bills seeks to exempt qualified small business corporations and qualified family farm or fishing corporations from the application of certain anti-avoidance rules, making certain intercorporate dividend transfers tax free, provide for the tax-free splitting of these corporations, as well as allow for corporate intergenerational sales of such businesses to be treated as capital gains that are eligible for the lifetime capital gains deduction.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Capital gains
    Capital gains taxes
    Financial transactions
    Tax avoidance

  10. Legislative Summary of Bill S-5: An Act to amend the Judges Act

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-s5-e.pdf (4.02 MB)
    This bill amends the Judges Act to replace the process through which the conduct of federally appointed judges is reviewed by the Canadian Judicial Council. It establishes a new process for reviewing allegations of misconduct that are not serious enough to warrant a judge’s removal from office and makes changes to the process by which recommendations regarding removal from office can be made to the Minister of Justice. As with the provisions it replaces, this new process also applies to persons, other than judges, who are appointed under an Act of Parliament to hold office during good behaviour.

    This legislative summary is available as an unedited preliminary version in PDF format only. If the bill receives Royal Assent, this version will be replaced by a final version available in both HTML and PDF formats.

    Complaint management
    Federally appointed judges
    Statutes
    Termination of employment