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FederalPassed42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill S-2 explained in plain English

An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act

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

Short answer

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act amendments strengthen enforcement of safety regulations by expanding the Minister's powers, introducing new penalties, and clarifying compliance obligations for companies.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill S-2
Full title
An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal assent received
Last updated
Mar 1, 2018

Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 42nd 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
Mar 1, 2018
Plain-language explanation

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

AI-assisted
Short Version

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act amendments strengthen enforcement of safety regulations by expanding the Minister's powers, introducing new penalties, and clarifying compliance obligations for companies.

What It Means

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act amendments expand the powers of the Minister of Transport and the Transportation Safety Board to enforce safety regulations. Key changes include: 1. New Enforcement Powers: The Minister can now issue correction orders to companies violating safety rules (Section 12). These orders require companies to fix issues within a specified timeframe. 2. Expanded Inspector Authority: Inspectors can inspect vehicles and facilities without prior notice, and can demand documents or information related to safety compliance (Section 14). 3. Penalties for Non-Compliance: Fines of up to $500,000 are introduced for serious violations, with higher penalties for repeat offenses (Section 16). 4. Due Diligence Defense: Companies may argue they took reasonable steps to ensure compliance, reducing liability for minor oversights (Section 18). 5. Tribunal Jurisdiction: The Transportation Safety Board now has authority to review and appeal decisions related to safety violations (Section 20). These changes clarify enforcement mechanisms and penalties for non-compliance with motor vehicle safety regulations.

What This Bill Does
  • Adds a definition of 'Tribunal' to clarify legal processes (Section 20).
  • Allows the Minister to issue correction orders for safety violations (Section 12).
  • Expands inspector authority to inspect vehicles and demand documents (Section 14).
  • Introduces fines up to $500,000 for serious safety violations (Section 16).
  • Creates a 'due diligence' defense for companies with minor compliance failures (Section 18).
Who Is Affected
  • Motor vehicle manufacturers and operators
  • Transportation safety inspectors
  • Companies subject to safety regulations
  • The Transportation Safety Board
  • Minister of Transport and their staff
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify the exact criteria for determining 'serious' violations that trigger the $500,000 fine.
  • The definition of 'due diligence' is not detailed in the text, leaving interpretation to regulatory guidelines.
  • The process for appealing correction orders is not fully described in the provided text.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Motor Vehicle Safety Act
Amended to add new sections and definitions

The Act now includes expanded enforcement powers, new penalties, and clearer compliance procedures.

Transportation Safety Board Act
Extended jurisdiction to review safety violation decisions

The Transportation Safety Board can now handle appeals related to safety enforcement actions.

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 11, 2016
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, May 11, 2016
End of stage activity, May 11, 2016
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - May 11, 2016

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, 2016
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, 2016
Referral to committee, Oct 25, 2016
End of stage activity, Oct 25, 2016
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Oct 5, 2016

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, 2016

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.

Second reading - Oct 25, 2016

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

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Nov 24, 2016
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 with an amendment, Nov 24, 2016
End of stage activity, Nov 24, 2016
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented with an amendment - Nov 24, 2016

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

Step 4
Report stage
Jan 31, 2017
Completed

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

Committee report adopted, Jan 31, 2017
End of stage activity, Jan 31, 2017
Chamber sittings
Debate at consideration of committee report - Nov 28, 2016

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

Committee report adopted - Jan 31, 2017

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

Step 5
Third reading
Feb 2, 2017
Completed

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

Third reading, Feb 2, 2017
End of stage activity, Feb 2, 2017
Chamber sittings
Third reading - Feb 2, 2017

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
Feb 9, 2017
Completed

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

First reading, Feb 9, 2017
End of stage activity, Feb 9, 2017
Chamber sittings
First reading - Feb 9, 2017

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
Sep 20, 2017
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, Sep 20, 2017
End of stage activity, Sep 20, 2017
Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - Sep 19, 2017

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.

Debate at second reading - Sep 20, 2017

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
Oct 19, 2017
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 with amendments, Oct 19, 2017
End of stage activity, Oct 19, 2017
Chamber sittings
Committee report presented with amendments - Oct 19, 2017

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

Step 4
Report stage
Jan 30, 2018
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, Jan 30, 2018
End of stage activity, Jan 30, 2018
Chamber sittings
Debate at report stage - Jan 30, 2018

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
Jan 31, 2018
Completed

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

Third reading, Jan 31, 2018
End of stage activity, Jan 31, 2018
Chamber sittings
Debate at third reading - Jan 30, 2018

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 - Jan 31, 2018

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
Mar 1, 2018
Royal assent, Mar 1, 2018
End of stage activity, Mar 1, 2018
Chamber sittings
Royal assent - Mar 1, 2018

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

Yes
296
No
0
Abstain
0
Absent / Other
0
Final recorded House vote
Jan 31, 2018
296 representative positions are recorded in this official snapshot for this vote.
Sponsor
Peter Harder
Senator | Progressive Senate Group (PSG) | Ontario
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