CANADA
after charges of assault and sexual assault were laid against him by the Quebec Police, and suspended with pay during the legal proceedings. Senator Brazeau pleaded non-guilty to both offences.
Legislation On 27 November 2012, Hon. James Moore, MP, Minister of Canadian Heritage, introduced Bill
The Senate of the Parliament of Canada. Hon. James Moore, MP
C-49, the Canadian Museum of History Act. The purpose of the bill is to replace the existing Canadian Museum of Civilization with the Canadian Museum of History by focusing the mandate of the institution on Canadian culture and history. On the day Bill C-49 was introduced, Mr Moore said: “This year marks the start of the five-year countdown to Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017. It offers us an unprecedented opportunity to celebrate our history and those achievements that define who we are as Canadians,” he said. “Canadians deserve a national museum of history that tells our stories and presents our country’s treasures to the world.” On 11 December 2012, the
Hon. Vic Toews, MP, Minister of Public Safety, introduced in the House of Commons Bill C-51, the Safer Witnesses Act. On that day, he stated: “Through the Safer Witnesses Act, our government is improving the federal Witness Protection Program by making it more effective for those it’s designed to protect while being
responsive to law enforcement needs.” The proposed changes are aimed at improving the processes to obtain secure identity changes for witnesses, to broaden prohibitions against the disclosure of information, and to extent the amount of time emergency protection may be provided. On 31 January 2013, Hon.
Rob Nicholson, MP, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, introduced Bill C-53, the Succession to the Throne Act, 2013. The purpose of the bill is to express the consent of the Canadian Parliament to a British legislative proposal to change the rules of succession to the Throne by making succession no longer dependent on gender and to end the disqualification resulting from marrying a Roman Catholic. The Canadian and British legislative proposals are aimed at implementing an agreement reached at Perth, Australia, on 28 October 2011, among the Commonwealth Heads of Government whose country share Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II, as Head of State. Bill C-54, the Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act, proposes amendments regarding the mental disorder regime which deals with accused persons who were found unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible. The new legislation would create High-Risk Designation
for accused persons found not criminally responsible who committed a serious personal injury offence and who present a substantial likelihood for further violence that would endanger the public. Those accused person would not be able to be
R. v. Tse Act, introduced on 11 February 2013, the government proposed new provisions aimed at addressing the reasons why the previous provisions had been declared invalid. Other government bills
recently introduced before Parliament include:
Hon. Rob Nicholson, MP
discharged, or go unescorted in the community Another criminal law legislative
proposal relates to a recent decision of the Supreme Court in R. v. Tse. In this case, the Court held declare unconstitutional provisions of the Criminal Code dealing wiretap interceptions as there was no after-the- fact notification requirement to persons whose private communications had been intercepted. The Court suspended the declaration of invalidity for one year, to give time to Parliament to adopt new rules. With Bill C-55, the Response to the Supreme Court of Canada Decision in
• Bill S-14, the Fighting Foreign Corruption Act, which would strengthen the provisions of the Corruption of Foreign Public Offi- cials Act by increasing maximum sentences of imprisonment appli- cable to the offence of bribing a foreign public official, and create new offences under the Act; • Bill S-15, the Expansion and Conservation of Canada’s Na- tional Parks Act, which would es- tablish Sable Island National Park Reserve of Canada and propose other amendments with respect to national parks in Canada; • Bill C-48, the Technical Tax Amendments Act, 2012, propos- ing technical and housekeeping amendments Tax statutes; • Bill C-52, the Fair Rail Freight Service Act, which would require a railway company, on a shipper’s request, to make the shipper an offer to enter into a contract respecting the manner in which the railway company must fulfil its service obligations to the ship- per. The Bill also proposes to put in place an arbitration process in case no agreement can be reached.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One | 87
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