Bill S-207 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Interpretation Act (non-derogation of aboriginal and treaty rights)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 41st Parliament, 1st 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 proposed to amend the Interpretation Act to explicitly state that no law should be interpreted to diminish or violate existing aboriginal and treaty rights recognized by the Constitution Act, 1982.
Bill S-207, introduced in the Senate on December 13, 2011, aimed to amend the federal Interpretation Act. The bill proposed to add a new section (8.3) that would state that no law or regulation should be interpreted in a way that it reduces or violates the aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada, as these rights are recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. The bill did not proceed past its first reading.
- It proposed to add a new section to the Interpretation Act.
- The proposed new section would state that any law or regulation must not be interpreted in a way that abrogates (takes away) or derogates from (lessens) the aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
- These rights are specifically those recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
- Indigenous peoples of Canada
- The federal government (in interpreting laws and regulations)
- Lawmakers and legal professionals
- The bill aims to protect and uphold existing aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
- It proposes that all federal enactments should be interpreted in a manner consistent with these rights.
- The bill was given first reading on December 13, 2011.
- The bill did not proceed past its first reading, so its provisions were not enacted into law.
- The bill text does not specify the exact process or timeline for how this new interpretive rule would be applied in practice.
Adds a new section (8.3) stating that no enactment shall be construed so as to abrogate or derogate from aboriginal and treaty rights recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
Source: Section 1 of Bill S-207
References section 35 of this Act, which recognizes and affirms aboriginal and treaty rights, as the basis for the proposed non-derogation clause.
Source: Section 1 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
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We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Sponsor’s speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Response speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at 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 Committee report presented with an amendment 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 Debate at consideration of committee report 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