Legislative summaries

  1. Legislative Summary of Bill C-71: An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms

    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c71-e.pdf (571.58 KB)
    Bill C 71 is divided into two parts. Part 1 amends the Firearms Act, the Criminal Code (Code) and the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non Restricted. Part 2 of the bill reintroduces the legislative amendments contained in Bill C 52, An Act to amend Chapter 6 of the Statutes of Canada, 2012 (short title: Supporting Vested Rights Under Access to Information Act), which amend the Ending the Long gun Regis-try Act (ELRA), the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Privacy 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.

    Firearms registry
    Gun control
    Statutes

  2. Legislative Summary of Bill C-337: An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code (sexual assault)

    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    421c337e.pdf (491.82 KB)
    This enactment amends the Judges Act to restrict eligibility for judicial appointment to individuals who have completed comprehensive education in respect of matters related to sexual assault law and social context. It also requires the Canadian Judicial Council to report on continuing education seminars in matters related to sexual assault law. Furthermore, it amends the Criminal Code to require that reasons provided by a judge in sexual assault decisions be entered in the record of the proceedings or be in writing.

    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.

    Federally appointed judges
    Sexual assault
    Statutes
    Training
    Violence against women

  3. Legislative Summary of Bill C-83: An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c83-e.pdf (594.71 KB)
    The purpose of the bill is to strengthen the federal correctional system in a number of ways. These include: ending administrative segregation and disciplinary segregation; creating “structured intervention units” and establishing a process for reviewing the decision to confine an inmate in such a unit; allowing the use of body scanners as a way to prevent the introduction of illegal substances into federal correctional institutions; setting out a series of factors that must be taken into account when making any decision affecting an Indigenous offender; supporting the professional autonomy and independence of health care professionals; establishing a network of patient advocates; and facilitating victims' access to the audio recordings of certain Parole Board of Canada hearings.

    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.

    Federal penitentiaries
    Imprisonment
    Narcotic control
    Prisoners
    Solitary confinement
    Statutes

  4. Legislative Summary of Bill C-77: An Act to amend the National Defence Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c77-e.pdf (2.12 MB)
    An important purpose of the bill is to give victims of service offences the rights enshrined in the civilian criminal justice system by the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights in 2015. Bill C-77 contains many of the changes proposed in Bill C-71, An Act to amend the National Defence Act and the Criminal Code (short title: Victims Rights in the Military Justice System Act), which died on the Order Paper when Parliament was dissolved in August 2015 for the 42nd general election.

    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.

    Military court system
    Military offences
    Statutes
    Victims

  5. Legislative Summary of Bill C-78: An Act to amend the Divorce Act, the Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act and the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c78-e.pdf (719.86 KB)
    According to the Department of Justice, the bill's four key objectives are “to promote the best interests of the child, address family violence, reduce child poverty, and make Canada's family justice system more accessible and efficient” in the context of family breakdown. The bill is the first substantial revision of Canada's federal family law–related legislation in 20 years.

    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.

    Child support
    Divorce
    Statutes

  6. Legislative Summary of Bill C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c51-e.pdf (700.7 KB)
    There are three aspects to Bill C 51. First, the bill amends the Criminal Code (Code) to modify or repeal provisions that have been ruled unconstitutional by the courts or that raise risks of being contrary to the provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter). It also amends or repeals Code provisions that could be considered obsolete and/or redundant. Second, Bill C 51 amends provisions in the Code relating to sexual offences. In particular, it sets out a procedure for determining the admissibility and use of the complainant’s records when they are in the possession of the accused. Finally, Bill C 51 amends the Department of Justice Act to require that the Minister of Justice table a statement of a bill’s potential effects on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter for every government bill introduced in either House of Parliament.

    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.

    Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
    Criminal law
    Evidence
    Sexual offences
    Statutes

  7. Legislative Summary of Bill C-75: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c75-e.pdf (750.42 KB)
    This bill is intended to make the criminal justice system more modern and efficient and to reduce delays in criminal proceedings. The proposed amendments are in response to the Supreme Court of Canada rulings in R. v. Jordan and R. v. Cody, and to the final report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Delaying Justice is Denying Justice: An Urgent Need to Address Lengthy Court Delays in Canada. According to the federal government, many of these reforms “reflect collaborative efforts to address court delays, and have been identified as priorities by federal, provincial, and territorial Justice Ministers.”

    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.

    Administration of justice
    Bills
    Family violence
    Offences
    Statutes

  8. Legislative Summary of Bill C-58: An Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c58-e.pdf (2.07 MB)
    Bill C 58 contains 63 clauses. The description that follows focuses on certain aspects of the bill, and does not review all of its provisions. Below is an overview: Clauses 1 to 46 amend the ATIA. Clauses 39 to 41 make some terminology changes to the ATIA. Clauses 42 to 46 contain transitional provisions concerning the ATIA. Clauses 47 to 57 amend the Privacy Act. Clause 58 validates orders relating to the ATIA. Clause 59 validates orders relating to the Privacy Act. Clause 60 contains a consequential amendment to the Canada Evidence Act. Clause 61 contains a consequential amendment to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Clause 62 contains a coordinating amendment. Clause 63 provides for the coming into force of the bill’s provisions.

    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.

    Access to information
    Government information
    Privacy
    Statutes

  9. Legislative Summary of Bill C-57: An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c57-e.pdf (505.77 KB)
    An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act, was introduced in the House of Com-mons on 19 June 2017 by the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. It amends the Federal Sustainable Development Act to broaden its scope, to make the process for developing the federal sustainable development strategy more transparent, and to increase accountability to Parliament. The bill also removes the requirement for performance-based contracts with the Government of Canada to include provisions for meeting the applicable targets contained in the federal sustainable development strategy and departmental sustainable development strategies.

    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.

    Environmental law
    Sustainable development

  10. Legislative Summary of Bill C-47: An Act to amend the Export and Import Permits Act and the Criminal Code (amendments permitting the accession to the Arms Trade Treaty and other amendments)

    (Revised)
    Legislative Summary
    42-1
    c47-e.pdf (773.21 KB)
    This enactment amends the Export and Import Permits Act to (a) define the term “broker” and to establish a framework to control brokering that takes place in Canada and that is undertaken by Canadians outside Canada; (b) require that the Minister take into account certain considerations be-fore issuing an export permit or a brokering permit; (c) authorize the making of regulations that set out additional mandatory considerations that the Minister is required to take into account before is-suing an export permit or a brokering permit; (d) set May 31 as the date by which the Minister must table in both Houses of Parliament a report of the operations under the Act in the preceding year and a report on military exports in the preceding year; (e) increase the maximum fine for a summary conviction offence to $250,000; (f) replace the requirement that only countries with which Canada has an intergovernmental arrangement may be added to the Automatic Firearms Country Control List by a requirement that a country may be added to the list only on the recommendation of the Minister made after consultation with the Minister of National Defence; and (g) add a new purpose for which an article may be added to an Export Control List.

    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.

    Arms control