Legislative summaries

  1. Legislative Summary of Bill C-32: An Act to amend the Official Languages Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c32-e.pdf (1.09 MB)
    This bill amends the Official Languages Act to, among other things, codify certain interpretative principles regarding language rights; provide that the Minister of Canadian Heritage is responsible for exercising leadership in relation to the implementation of that Act; provide that section 16 of that Act applies to the Supreme Court of Canada; provide for Government of Canada commitments to protect and promote French, contribute to an estimate of the number of children whose parents are rights holders under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, advance opportunities for members of English and French linguistic minority communities to pursue quality learning in their own language throughout their lives, including from early childhood to post-secondary education, and advance the use of English and French in the conduct of Canada’s external affairs; provide for certain measures that the Minister of Canadian Heritage may take to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society; provide that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is required to adopt a policy on francophone immigration; provide for rights respecting the use of French as a language of service and a language of work in relation to federally regulated private businesses in Quebec and regions with a strong francophone presence; enable the Commissioner of Official Languages to enter into compliance agreements and, in certain cases, to make orders; and permit employees of federally regulated private businesses in Quebec and regions with a strong francophone presence to make a complaint to the Commissioner of Official Languages with respect to rights and duties in relation to language of work.

    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.

    Anglophone minorities
    Equality of status of both official languages
    Federally regulated private businesses
    Francophone minorities
    French language
    Language of work
    Official languages
    Statutes

  2. Legislative Summary of Bill C-22: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c22-e.pdf (4.1 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
    Criminal law
    Harm reduction
    Illegal drug use
    Minimum sentences
    Narcotic control
    Possession of a controlled substance
    Statutes
    Substance abuse prevention

  3. Legislative Summary of Bill C-36: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act and to make related amendments to another Act (hate propaganda, hate crimes and hate speech)

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c36-e.pdf (988.66 KB)
    This bill amends the Criminal Code to create a recognizance to keep the peace relating to hate propaganda and hate crime and to define “hatred” for the purposes of two hate propaganda offences. It also makes related amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. In addition, it amends the Canadian Human Rights Act to provide that it is a discriminatory practice to communicate or cause to be communicated hate speech by means of the Internet or other means of telecommunication in a context in which the hate speech is likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination. It authorizes the Canadian Human Rights Commission to accept complaints alleging this discriminatory practice and authorizes the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to adjudicate complaints and order remedies.

    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.

    Discrimination
    Freedom of expression
    Hate crimes
    Statutes

  4. Legislative Summary of Bill C-28: An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, to make related amendments to the Food and Drugs Act and to repeal the Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Virtual Elimination Act

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c28-e.pdf (930.99 KB)
    This bill amends the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). It recognizes Canadians’ right to a healthy environment and enshrines the Government of Canada’s duty to protect this right. The bill requires the ministers of the Environment and Health to consider vulnerable populations and cumulative effects when assessing a substance’s potential to be toxic or to become toxic. The bill creates a two-track prioritization regime for the regulation of toxic substances under CEPA. The bill amends the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) to create an environmental risk assessment and management regime for drugs. The FDA already sets out a framework for assessing and managing health risks to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs; however, the environmental risks of drug ingredients are currently assessed under CEPA. The amendments establish a single assessment regime under the FDA to assess both the environmental risks and health risks of drugs.

    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.

    Ecotoxicity
    Medication
    Poisonous and infectious materials
    Pollution prevention
    Statutes

  5. Legislative Summary of Bill C-35: An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c35-e.pdf (3.98 MB)
    This bill establishes the Canada disability benefit to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities. It sets out general provisions for the administration of the benefit and authorizes the Governor in Council to implement most of the benefit’s design elements through regulations. It also makes a consequential amendment to the Income Tax 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.

    Allowances
    Income security
    Persons with disabilities
    Poverty
    Statutes

  6. Legislative Summary of Bill C-31: An Act to amend the Criminal Records Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c31-e.pdf (4.03 MB)
    This bill amends the Criminal Records Act to, among other things, replace the expression “record suspension” with the term “pardon”; reduce the applicable waiting period before a person may apply for a pardon from 10 years to five years if the person is convicted of an offence that is prosecuted by indictment, and from five years to three years if the person is convicted only of an offence punishable on summary conviction; provide that Parole Board of Canada employees may exercise certain powers and perform certain duties and functions of the Board; remove the pardon ineligibility of persons who have been convicted of more than three offences prosecuted by indictment for each of which a sentence of two years or more was imposed; make persons who were convicted of a terrorism offence for which a sentence of 10 years or more was imposed ineligible for a pardon; amend the factors to be considered by the Board when deciding whether to grant a pardon; allow for identification following a DNA match in the same manner as following a fingerprint match; and remove the exception to automatic cessation of effect of a pardon for those convicted of an offence under subsection 320.14(1) or 320.15(1) of the Criminal Code.

    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 records
    Record suspension
    Social reintegration of offenders
    Statutes

  7. Legislative Summary of Bill C-30: An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c30-e.pdf (1.4 MB)
    This bill has four parts. Part 1 implements certain income tax measures and makes related and consequential amendments to the Excise Tax Act, the Air Travellers Security Charge Act, the Excise Act, 2001, the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the Income Tax Regulations and the Canada Disability Savings Regulations. Part 2 implements certain Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST). Part 3 implements certain excise measures by increasing excise duty rates on tobacco products. Part 4 enacts an Act and amends several Acts in order to implement various measures.

    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
    Excise taxes
    Federal budget
    Federal taxes
    Goods and services tax
    Harmonized sales tax
    Personal income taxes
    Tax credits

  8. Legislative Summary of Bill S-4: An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-s4-e.pdf (3.98 MB)
    This bill proposes amendments to the Parliament of Canada Act in relation to additional annual allowances paid to senators who occupy certain positions. It also proposes amendments to the Act to provide that 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 may change the membership of the Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) and are to be consulted on the appointment of certain officers and agents of Parliament. The bill further proposes a consequential amendment to the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act, as well as related amendments to several 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.

    Salaries
    Senate reform
    Standing Orders and Rules
    Statutes

  9. Legislative Summary of Bill C-21: An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms)

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c21-e.pdf (4.04 MB)
    This bill amends the Criminal Code, the Firearms Act, the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). It also makes consequential amendments to An Act to Amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

    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
    Firearm offences
    Firearms
    Gun control
    Statutes

  10. Legislative Summary of Bill C-25: An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, to authorize certain payments to be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and to amend another Act

    Legislative Summary
    43-2
    43-2-c25-e.pdf (3.96 MB)
    This bill amends the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to authorize additional payments to the provinces and territories. It also authorizes payments to be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund in relation to Canada’s COVID-19 immunization plan and infrastructure and amends the heading of Part 9 of the Keeping Canada’s Economy and Jobs Growing 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.

    Public finance
    Statutes
    Transfer payments