Bill S-7 explained in plain English
An Act to deter terrorism and to amend the State Immunity Act
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
Short answer
Bill S-7 enables terrorism victims to sue perpetrators and amends laws to restrict foreign state immunity in terrorism cases, while establishing a list of foreign states supporting terrorism.
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.
AI-generated from official bill text; automatically checked and spot-reviewed.
Bill S-7 enables terrorism victims to sue perpetrators and amends laws to restrict foreign state immunity in terrorism cases, while establishing a list of foreign states supporting terrorism.
Bill S-7 aims to strengthen Canada's ability to hold terrorists and their supporters accountable by allowing victims to sue perpetrators and amending laws to limit foreign state immunity in terrorism-related cases. It creates a framework for identifying foreign states that support terrorism and outlines procedures for legal actions against them.
- Allows victims of terrorist acts to sue individuals or entities involved in the attacks, including foreign states that support terrorism.
- Amends the State Immunity Act to limit the legal protection (immunity) foreign states receive in cases where they are found to have supported terrorism.
- Defines 'foreign state support of terrorism' using provisions from the Criminal Code, including actions that aid or finance terrorist activities.
- Establishes a list of foreign states that are determined to support terrorism, with procedures for adding, reviewing, and removing states from the list.
- Requires courts to consider arbitration opportunities before hearing claims against foreign states and suspends time limits for victims with disabilities or identification challenges.
- Modifies rules for property used in terrorism support, allowing seizure of assets linked to terrorism judgments and requiring government institutions to assist in locating assets for judgment creditors.
- Victims of terrorist acts
- Individuals or entities involved in terrorism or supporting terrorist activities
- Foreign governments identified as supporting terrorism
- Courts and legal institutions handling terrorism-related cases
- Government agencies assisting in asset recovery for terrorism judgments
- The exact criteria for determining which foreign states are added to the terrorism-support list are not fully detailed in the summary.
- The application of arbitration requirements for foreign state claims depends on specific procedural rules not fully outlined here.
- The long-term legal implications of removing a foreign state from the list on ongoing cases are subject to interpretation.
Foreign states that support terrorism may no longer be protected from legal actions in Canada, and there are new rules for handling assets tied to terrorism.
The bill clarifies what actions constitute supporting terrorism, helping courts identify and prosecute individuals or entities involved in terrorist activities.
Canada may enforce foreign court decisions against foreign states on the terrorism-support list, enhancing global cooperation in holding terrorists accountable.
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. Coverage is limited to the official text extracted for this bill version.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
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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 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 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 without amendment 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 Debate at third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Debate at 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 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
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