Bill C-208 explained in plain English
An Act to prohibit the sale of Canadian military and police medals
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th 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 C-208 would prohibit the sale, export for sale, or trade of military and police medals awarded by the Government of Canada.
Bill C-208 proposes to make it illegal in Canada to sell, export, or trade any medal that the Government of Canada has awarded to members of the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or to police officers who served outside Canada on behalf of the Canadian government. According to the bill, this prohibition is intended to preserve the integrity of Canada's Honours System, which the bill states has been damaged by the auctioning of such medals. The bill defines "sell" broadly to include offering medals for sale, selling them indirectly, exporting them for sale, or trading them for other goods. A person who violates this prohibition would be guilty of an offence and subject to punishment on summary conviction, though the bill does not specify the exact penalties (such as fines or jail time).
- Prohibits any person from selling medals awarded by the Government of Canada for service with the Canadian Forces or Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Prohibits any person from selling medals awarded by the Government of Canada for service as a police officer outside Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada
- Defines 'sell' to include offering for sale, causing to be sold, exporting for sale, and trading for other goods
- Defines 'police officer' as any officer, constable, or other person ordinarily employed in Canada for the preservation and maintenance of public peace
- Makes violation of the prohibition an offence punishable on summary conviction
- Any person who sells, exports for sale, or trades Canadian military or police medals
- Members of the Canadian Forces who have received medals
- Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who have received medals
- Police officers who served outside Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada and have received medals
- Auctioneers or dealers who may currently sell such medals
- Collectors or buyers of Canadian military and police medals
- A person is prohibited from selling any medal awarded by the Government of Canada for Canadian Forces or Royal Canadian Mounted Police service
- A person is prohibited from selling any medal awarded by the Government of Canada for service as a police officer outside Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada
- The definition of 'sell' extends to offering for sale, causing to be sold, exporting for sale, and trading for other goods
- Bill was introduced at First Reading on November 21, 2008
- The bill does not specify a commencement date or transition period
- The bill does not specify any financial or tax impacts
- Violation of the prohibition is an offence punishable on summary conviction
- The bill does not specify the exact penalties (such as fines or imprisonment) for contravention
- The bill does not specify the exact penalties (fines, imprisonment, or other sanctions) for contravention of the prohibition
- The bill does not specify a commencement date or whether any transition period would apply
- The bill does not clarify what happens to medals already sold before the law comes into force
- The bill does not specify which government ministry or agency would be responsible for enforcing this prohibition
- The bill does not address whether there would be exceptions (for example, for display in museums or historical archives)
- The bill was at the First Reading stage and has not passed into law; its current legislative status is 'Outside the Order of Precedence', meaning it has not advanced further in the parliamentary process
The bill aims to preserve the integrity of Canada's Honours System by making it illegal to sell medals awarded under that system
Source: Preamble
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
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 Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Bill C-208, an Act to prohibit the sale of Canadian military and police medals, completed its first reading in the House of Commons on November 21, 2008.
This record describes the first reading of Bill C-208, an Act to prohibit the sale of Canadian military and police medals, in the House of Commons on November 21, 2008. This is a procedural step that introduces the bill to the House. The bill's current status is 'Outside the Order of Precedence,' meaning it has not yet been scheduled for debate or further action. The record also notes similar bills that were introduced in previous Parliaments.
On November 21, 2008, Bill C-208, an act to prohibit the sale of Canadian military and police medals, was introduced and read for the first time in the House of Commons.
This record details the first reading of Bill C-208, An Act to prohibit the sale of Canadian military and police medals. It occurred during a House of Commons sitting on November 21, 2008. The primary procedural event was the introduction of this bill, which was completed. The Hansard record for this sitting also includes debates on the Speech from the Throne and various other matters, but it does not contain any discussion or votes specifically related to Bill C-208.
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