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FederalPassed41st Parliament, 1st Session

Bill S-3 explained in plain English

A third Act to harmonize federal law with the civil law of Quebec and to amend certain Acts in order to ensure that each language version takes into account the common law and the civil law

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

Short answer

This bill amends the Securities Act to integrate Quebec civil law terms, update corporate formalities, and establish rules for the commencement and repeal of sections, with specific changes to definitions and procedural requirements.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
41st Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill S-3
Full title
A third Act to harmonize federal law with the civil law of Quebec and to amend certain Acts in order to ensure that each language version takes into account the common law and the civil law
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal assent received
Last updated
Nov 29, 2011

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.

Chamber
Parliament of Canada
Current Stage
Royal assent received
Latest Activity
Nov 29, 2011
Plain-language explanation

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

AI-assisted
Short Version

This bill amends the Securities Act to integrate Quebec civil law terms, update corporate formalities, and establish rules for the commencement and repeal of sections, with specific changes to definitions and procedural requirements.

What It Means

This bill amends the Securities Act to align with Quebec's civil law system, updates definitions related to mandates and corporate formalities, and establishes rules for the commencement and repeal of sections. Key changes include: 1. Quebec Civil Law Integration: Replaces English terms with Quebec equivalents (e.g., 'mandatary' includes successors in Quebec; 'mandataire' is defined as the 'ayant cause' in French). 2. Corporate Formalities: A document signed on behalf of a corporation is not invalid if it lacks a corporate seal (Section 23(2)). 3. Securities Transfer: Amendments to subsection 15(1) of the French version address transfer of securities. 4. Commencement Rules: Section 201 of another Act comes into force before Section 163 of this Act. If they come into force on the same day, Section 163 is deemed to have come into force first, repealing Section 163. The bill affects corporate governance, securities transactions, and legal terminology in Quebec. Specific sections and their amendments are detailed in the text.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends definitions to align with Quebec's civil law system, including terms like 'mandatary' and 'mandataire'.
  • Modifies rules for corporate documents to allow validity without a corporate seal.
  • Updates provisions related to the transfer of securities.
  • Establishes the order of commencement for overlapping sections of the Act and another Act.
Who Is Affected
  • Corporations and their officers (due to changes in corporate formalities).
  • Legal professionals and businesses operating in Quebec (due to civil law integration).
  • Securities regulators and market participants (due to transfer and document validity rules).
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The exact scope of 'ayant cause' in Quebec civil law is not fully detailed in the text.
  • The specific provisions of the other Act referenced in the commencement rules are not provided.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Securities Act (Canada)
Amended

Includes Quebec civil law terms and updates corporate formalities for securities transactions.

Other Act (Section 201)
Repealed by commencement order

Section 201 comes into force before Section 163 of this Act, with specific priority rules if enacted on the same day.

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
Sep 29, 2011
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, Sep 29, 2011
End of stage activity, Sep 29, 2011
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - Sep 29, 2011

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
Oct 25, 2011
Completed

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

Second reading, Oct 25, 2011
Referral to committee, Oct 25, 2011
End of stage activity, Oct 25, 2011
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Oct 4, 2011

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 - Oct 19, 2011

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 - Oct 25, 2011

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
Nov 3, 2011
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, Nov 3, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 3, 2011
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented - Nov 3, 2011

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
Nov 15, 2011
Completed

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

Third reading, Nov 15, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 15, 2011
Chamber sittings
Third reading - Nov 15, 2011

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

Step 1
First reading
Nov 16, 2011
Completed

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

First reading, Nov 16, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 16, 2011
Chamber sittings
First reading - Nov 16, 2011

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
Nov 23, 2011
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, Nov 23, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 23, 2011
Chamber sittings
Second reading and referral to committee - Nov 23, 2011

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

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Nov 23, 2011
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, Nov 23, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 23, 2011
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented - Nov 23, 2011

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
Nov 23, 2011
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, Nov 23, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 23, 2011
Chamber sittings
Concurrence at report stage - Nov 23, 2011

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

Step 5
Third reading
Nov 23, 2011
Completed

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

Third reading, Nov 23, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 23, 2011
Chamber sittings
Third reading - Nov 23, 2011

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

Step 1
Royal assent
Nov 29, 2011
Royal assent, Nov 29, 2011
End of stage activity, Nov 29, 2011
Chamber sittings
Royal assent - Nov 29, 2011

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
Marjory LeBreton
Senator | Details not listed in current Senate roster
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