Bill S-207 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (commercial seal fishing)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-207 would amend the Fisheries Act to ban commercial seal fishing in Canadian waters, except for fishing by aboriginal organizations and certain Indigenous peoples with harvesting rights under specific land claims agreements.
Bill S-207 is a proposed amendment to Canada's Fisheries Act that would prohibit commercial seal fishing in Canadian waters. The bill would stop the government from issuing commercial seal fishing licences, with two main exceptions: (1) licences could still be issued to aboriginal organizations, and (2) Indigenous people with harvesting rights under certain land claims agreements (the Western Arctic Inuvialuit Claims Settlement Act, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Native Claims Settlement Act, and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act) would be allowed to continue harvesting seals. The bill also clarifies that nothing in it removes or diminishes the existing aboriginal or treaty rights of Indigenous peoples under the Canadian Constitution. The bill would come into force 60 days after receiving royal assent. However, this bill was not proceeded with and did not become law.
- Prohibits all persons from commercially fishing for, taking, catching, or killing seals in Canadian fisheries waters
- Prevents the Minister of Fisheries from issuing new commercial seal fishing licences to anyone except aboriginal organizations
- Creates exceptions allowing aboriginal organizations to obtain commercial seal fishing licences
- Allows Indigenous beneficiaries under specific land claims agreements (Western Arctic Inuvialuit Claims Settlement Act, James Bay and Northern Quebec Native Claims Settlement Act, and Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act) to continue harvesting seals
- Confirms that the Act does not remove or limit existing aboriginal or treaty rights under the Constitution Act, 1982
- Adds a definition of 'aboriginal organization' to the Fisheries Act to include Indian bands, band councils, tribal councils, and organizations representing territorially-based aboriginal communities
- Commercial seal fishing operators and businesses in Canada
- Aboriginal organizations and their members
- Indigenous people who are beneficiaries under the Western Arctic Inuvialuit Claims Settlement Act
- Indigenous people who are beneficiaries under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Native Claims Settlement Act
- Inuit people with rights under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
- The Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (responsible for administering fishing licences)
- No person may fish for or kill seals for commercial purposes in Canadian fisheries waters, subject to specific exceptions
- The Minister may only issue commercial seal fishing licences to aboriginal organizations
- Aboriginal organizations that obtain a licence may conduct commercial seal fishing
- Indigenous beneficiaries under the specified land claims agreements retain the right to harvest seals
- Inuit people under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement retain the right to harvest seals
- Bill received First Reading on March 9, 2010
- If passed, the Act would come into force 60 days after receiving royal assent
- As of the provided information, the bill was not proceeded with and did not become law
- The bill text does not specify any financial costs, tax implications, or compensation for commercial seal fishing operators affected by the prohibition
- The bill text does not specify any enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or fines for violations of the commercial seal fishing prohibition
- The bill text does not specify what enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or fines would apply to violations of the commercial seal fishing prohibition
- The bill does not define the extent or geographic scope of 'Canadian fisheries waters' beyond referencing existing Fisheries Act terminology
- The bill does not clarify what procedures would be required for aboriginal organizations to obtain licences or what conditions might be attached to those licences
- The bill does not specify how the government would distinguish between commercial and non-commercial seal fishing
- The bill was not proceeded with and therefore did not become law, so its practical effect is unknown
- The bill does not provide details about how existing commercial seal fishing operations would be transitioned or affected
The bill adds new section 22.1 to prohibit commercial seal fishing in Canadian fisheries waters, except by aboriginal organizations and certain Indigenous peoples with harvesting rights under land claims agreements. It also amends section 7 by adding section 7.1 to restrict commercial seal fishing licences to aboriginal organizations only. It adds a definition of 'aboriginal organization' to section 2.
Source: Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Bill S-207
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
Bill S-207, aiming to amend the Fisheries Act regarding commercial seal fishing, reached its first reading in the Senate on March 9, 2010, but was subsequently not proceeded with.
This record indicates that Bill S-207, an Act to amend the Fisheries Act concerning commercial seal fishing, was introduced in the Senate for its first reading on March 9, 2010. However, the bill was not proceeded with further. The record also notes a similar bill, S-229, was introduced in the same Parliament.
Bill S-207, concerning amendments to the Fisheries Act regarding commercial seal fishing, was introduced and read for the first time in the Senate on March 9, 2010, but a subsequent motion to advance the bill to second reading was defeated.
On March 9, 2010, in the Senate, Bill S-207, an Act to amend the Fisheries Act (commercial seal fishing), was introduced and received first reading. Following this, a motion was made to set a date for the bill's second reading. However, this motion was defeated, and the bill was not proceeded with further on this day. The record also shows other procedural activities, including the tabling of documents, the introduction of other bills, and debates on various topics unrelated to Bill S-207.
On March 9, 2010, Bill S-207, concerning commercial seal fishing, received first reading in the Senate, but a subsequent motion to schedule it for second reading debate was defeated, halting its progress.
On March 9, 2010, Bill S-207, an Act to amend the Fisheries Act concerning commercial seal fishing, was introduced in the Senate and received its first reading. Following this, Senator Mac Harb moved that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading in two days. However, this motion was defeated by the Senate, meaning the bill did not proceed to further debate or consideration at that time. The Senate's proceedings also included tributes to Senator James Gladstone and Constable Vu Pham, discussions on various social and national issues, tabling of government documents, and introduction of other bills.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced