Skip to main content
Back to Bills
FederalPassed40th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill C-7 explained in plain English

An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act and the Federal Courts Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

Short answer

This bill updates maritime liability rules and court procedures by defining new terms, adjusting liability limits, and setting specific commencement dates for amended provisions.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
40th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill C-7
Full title
An Act to amend the Marine Liability Act and the Federal Courts Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal assent received
Last updated
Jun 23, 2009
Sponsor

Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd 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.

Chamber
Parliament of Canada
Current Stage
Royal assent received
Latest Activity
Jun 23, 2009
Sponsor
Plain-language explanation

AI-generated from official bill text; automatically checked and spot-reviewed.

AI-assisted
Short Version

This bill updates maritime liability rules and court procedures by defining new terms, adjusting liability limits, and setting specific commencement dates for amended provisions.

What It Means

This bill amends the Marine Liability Act and the Federal Courts Act to update definitions, procedures, and liability rules related to maritime incidents. Key changes include: 1. Marine Liability Act Amendments: - Defines 'passenger' to include participants in adventure tourism activities (Section 24). - Adds a new Schedule 3 for specific purposes. - Replaces references to Schedule 1 with Schedule 2 in certain sections. - Updates subsection 30(2) to clarify gross tonnage calculations for liability limits. - Modifies subsection 31 to adjust liability limits for vessels under 500 gross tons. 2. Federal Courts Act Amendments: - Adjusts procedures for maritime claims and court jurisdiction. 3. Commencement Dates: - Sections 1-10, 12, 14-16, and 18 come into force 90 days after royal assent. - Other sections (e.g., 24, 30-31) are scheduled to commence by order of the Governor in Council. - Section 45's commencement date is fixed by the Governor in Council. The bill clarifies definitions, updates liability rules, and adjusts procedural timelines for maritime claims.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Marine Liability Act to include adventure tourism participants as 'passengers' under certain conditions.
  • Adds a new Schedule 3 to the Marine Liability Act for specific purposes.
  • Replaces references to Schedule 1 with Schedule 2 in the Marine Liability Act.
  • Updates the calculation of gross tonnage for liability limits in subsection 30(2).
  • Modifies liability limits for vessels under 500 gross tons in subsection 31.
  • Amends the Federal Courts Act to adjust procedures for maritime claims and court jurisdiction.
  • Sets different commencement dates for sections of the Marine Liability Act, including a 90-day period after royal assent for some provisions and a Governor in Council order for others.
Who Is Affected
  • Vessel operators and owners
  • Passengers and adventure tourism participants
  • Courts and legal professionals handling maritime claims
  • Regulatory bodies overseeing maritime safety and liability
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The exact scope of 'adventure tourism' is not defined in the bill text.
  • The specific content of Schedule 3 is not provided in the summary.
  • The Governor in Council's order for certain provisions' commencement is not detailed.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Marine Liability Act
Amended

Updates definitions, liability rules, and procedural requirements for maritime incidents.

Federal Courts Act
Amended

Adjusts procedures for handling maritime claims and court jurisdiction.

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. Coverage is limited to the official text extracted for this bill version.

Official text

Parliamentary Process

Step 1
First reading
May 14, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

First reading, May 14, 2009
End of stage activity, May 14, 2009
Chamber sittings
First reading - May 14, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 2
Second reading
Jun 3, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Second reading, Jun 3, 2009
Referral to committee, Jun 3, 2009
End of stage activity, Jun 3, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - May 28, 2009

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.

Debate at second reading - Jun 3, 2009

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.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Jun 18, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Committee report presented, Jun 18, 2009
End of stage activity, Jun 18, 2009
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented - Jun 18, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Committee report presented yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 4
Third reading
Jun 22, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Third reading, Jun 22, 2009
End of stage activity, Jun 22, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at third reading - Jun 22, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 1
First reading
Jan 29, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Introduction and first reading, Jan 29, 2009
End of stage activity, Jan 29, 2009
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - Jan 29, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Introduction and first reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 2
Second reading
Mar 30, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Second reading and referral to committee, Mar 30, 2009
End of stage activity, Mar 30, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Feb 25, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at second reading - Mar 30, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
May 8, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Committee report presented, May 8, 2009
End of stage activity, May 8, 2009
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented - May 8, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Committee report presented yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 4
Report stage
May 13, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Concurrence at report stage, May 13, 2009
End of stage activity, May 13, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at report stage - May 13, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 5
Third reading
May 14, 2009
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Third reading, May 14, 2009
End of stage activity, May 14, 2009
Chamber sittings
Debate at third reading - May 13, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate at third reading - May 14, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 1
Royal assent
Jun 23, 2009
Royal assent, Jun 23, 2009
End of stage activity, Jun 23, 2009
Chamber sittings
Royal assent - Jun 23, 2009

We don't have a plain-language summary for Debates of the Senate 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

No published recorded division

This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.

Sponsor
John Baird
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament

No published representative vote breakdown

The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.

Official sources

This plain-English summary is based on official legislative sources and public records. It is intended for civic education and is not legal advice.

How this data is sourced