Bill S-12 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Statutory Instruments Act and to make consequential amendments to the Statutory Instruments Regulations
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
Short answer
Bill S-12 allows federal regulations to reference external documents, requires accessibility of those documents, and removes liability for non-compliance if accessibility is ensured.
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.
AI-generated from official bill text; automatically checked and spot-reviewed.
Bill S-12 allows federal regulations to reference external documents, requires accessibility of those documents, and removes liability for non-compliance if accessibility is ensured.
Bill S-12 amends the Statutory Instruments Act and its regulations to allow federal regulations to include documents by reference. This means regulations can reference external documents (like lists or rates) as if they were part of the regulation itself. The bill requires authorities to ensure these referenced documents are accessible to the public. It also clarifies that incorporating documents by reference does not require separate registration or publication. Additionally, it removes liability for non-compliance with these rules if accessibility requirements are met. The bill also updates terminology in the French version of the regulations and confirms the validity of past incorporations that followed previous rules.
- Adds a new section (18.1) to the Statutory Instruments Act allowing regulations to incorporate documents by reference
- Requires regulation-making authorities to ensure referenced documents are accessible to the public
- Removes liability for non-compliance with incorporation rules if accessibility requirements are met
- Clarifies that incorporating documents by reference does not require separate registration or publication
- Updates terminology in the French version of the Statutory Instruments Regulations
- Confirms the validity of past incorporations by reference that followed previous rules
- Federal government departments and agencies creating regulations
- The public who access regulated documents
- Legal professionals interpreting regulations
- The exact scope of 'document accessibility' requirements is not specified in the text
- The bill does not define what constitutes an 'incorporated document' beyond general references
- The effective date for confirming past incorporations is not stated in the text
Allows regulations to reference external documents and sets accessibility requirements for those documents
Includes changes to terminology in the French version and updates related to incorporation by reference
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
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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 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 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 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 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 Response speech 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 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