Bill C-15 Part 5 Section 8

Read Full Bill Text Here

ON THIS PAGE

5 Bill C-15 Division Summaries with Vote Questions. Read each summary. Then vote below.

  • Division 30: Judges
  • Division 31: Admin Tribunal Support
  • Division 32: Enviro Protection Tribunal
  • Division 33: Freshwater Fish Marketing
  • Division 34: Government Annuities

DIVISION 30 Judges Act Judges Act (R.S., c. J-1) — ss. 500–501

What the Bill Says

Two targeted amendments:

Salaries (s. 500): The annual salary for each of the 16 Justices of Appeal is set at $338,800.

Judge counts (s. 501):

  • The number of superior court judges (non-appeal) in the provinces is increased to 69
  • The number of unified family court judges that may be paid at any one time is increased to 66

Plain Language Summary

Division 30 sets judicial pay for Courts of Appeal justices and increases the authorized number of superior court and unified family court judges. More family court judges means more capacity to hear family law cases — custody, divorce, child protection — in a unified court rather than splitting those matters across multiple courts.

DIVISION 31 Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada Act Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada Act (2014, c. 20, s. 376) — ss. 502–507

What the Bill Says

Division 31 expands the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada (ATSSC) to include territorial bodies — administrative tribunals established under territorial legislation.

  • New definition of territorial body added
  • Minister may add, amend or delete territorial bodies from a new Schedule 2 by ministerial order — no Governor in Council approval required
  • A territorial body may only be added if there is a satisfactory funding arrangement in place
  • If the territorial body shares members with a federally established body, the responsible federal minister must be consulted before adding it
  • Orders are published in the Canada Gazette but are not statutory instruments
  • The ATSSC may spend revenues received from territorial bodies to offset its costs in providing them services

Plain Language Summary

The ATSSC currently supports federal administrative tribunals. Division 31 opens the door for territorial tribunals — Yukon, NWT, Nunavut — to plug into the same support service infrastructure, provided funding is sorted out first. The Minister controls which territorial bodies get access via ministerial order, bypassing the standard regulatory process.

DIVISION 32 Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and related Acts — ss. 508–552

What the Bill Says

Division 32 replaces the existing Chief Review Officer / review officer system under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 with a new formal administrative tribunal — the Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada.

The new Tribunal:

  • Established by statute with members appointed by the Minister on full-time or part-time basis
  • Minister appoints the Chairperson
  • Head office in the National Capital Region
  • Members serve during good behaviour for renewable terms of up to 3 years — removable by the Minister for cause
  • Members must be knowledgeable in environmental protection, environmental/human health, administrative law or traditional Indigenous ecological knowledge
  • Members have immunity for good faith acts and are servants of the Crown for tort purposes
  • Full-time members enrolled in the Public Service Superannuation Act
  • Supported by the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada

Powers and procedure:

  • Reviews enforcement orders within 30 days of receiving a request
  • Chairperson may extend review request periods in the public interest
  • Tribunal must render decisions within 15 days of completing a review
  • Decisions are final and binding — subject only to Federal Court judicial review
  • Chairperson may make rules governing Tribunal proceedings

Consequential amendments: The new Tribunal replaces the Chief Review Officer across six Acts: the International River Improvements Act, Canada Wildlife Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act, Antarctic Environmental Protection Act, Environmental Violations Administrative Monetary Penalties Act, and Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act.

Transitional provisions:

  • Existing Chief Review Officer becomes Chairperson for remainder of their term
  • Existing review officers become members for remainder of their terms
  • Pending matters continue before the new Tribunal
  • Prior orders and decisions deemed made by the Tribunal

Plain Language Summary

Canada's environmental enforcement review system has been run by individual review officers — a relatively informal structure. Division 32 upgrades that to a proper administrative tribunal with a formal appointment process, defined qualifications, pension coverage, institutional support and binding decision-making authority.

The Minister appoints all members and the Chairperson, and can remove members for cause. The Tribunal's decisions are final except for Federal Court judicial review — no internal appeal mechanism is created.

The same Tribunal now handles enforcement reviews across the full suite of federal environmental Legislation.

⚠️ The Minister appoints all members, appoints the Chairperson and can remove members for cause — while the Tribunal makes final binding decisions on environmental enforcement. The independence of the Tribunal from the Minister who controls its composition is the structural tension here.

DIVISION 33 Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation — Divestiture and Dissolution ss. 553–570

What the Bill Says

Division 33 authorizes the wind-down and dissolution of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) — a federal Crown corporation that has marketed freshwater fish on behalf of commercial fishers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and parts of Ontario since 1969.

Ministerial and GIC powers (ss. 555–556): With Governor in Council approval, the Minister may sell or dispose of Corporation property, amalgamate or dissolve it, create successor entities, appoint a liquidator, and exempt successor corporations from Financial Administration Act requirements. The GIC may order the Corporation to take any of these steps — and compliance is deemed to be in the Corporation's best interests.

Parliamentary oversight (s. 557): Orders must be tabled in Parliament within 15 sitting days — but if the Minister considers the information commercially sensitive, tabling is delayed until after implementation.

Dissolution mechanics (ss. 558–563): On dissolution, remaining property transfers to the Crown. Debts are paid from Corporation assets first; surplus goes to the Crown; unsatisfied debts become Crown liabilities. Legal proceedings continue against the Crown.

No compensation (s. 564): Board members have no right to compensation for losing their positions as a result of dissolution.

Consequential amendments (ss. 565–568): FFMC removed from federal fiscal arrangements, Financial Administration Act and Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act schedules. Former employees added to Public Service Superannuation Act coverage.

Repeal (s. 569): The Freshwater Fish Marketing Act is repealed entirely.

Coming into force (s. 570): Dissolution and repeal provisions fixed by Governor in Council order — no set date.

Plain Language Summary

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation has operated as a Crown monopoly buyer and marketer of freshwater fish for over 50 years. Division 33 ends that — dissolving the Corporation, repealing its enabling legislation, and transferring any remaining assets and liabilities to the Crown.

The Minister and Governor in Council control every step of the wind-down. Parliamentary oversight exists on paper but can be delayed when the Minister decides commercial sensitivity warrants it. Board members get nothing for losing their positions.

⚠️ Parliamentary oversight exists — but only after the fact and only when the Minister decides it isn't commercially sensitive. The oversight mechanism is real on paper and discretionary in practice.

DIVISION 34 Government Annuities Improvement Act Government Annuities Improvement Act (1974-75-76, c. 83) — s. 571

What the Bill Says

One sentence. Section 16 of the Government Annuities Improvement Act and its heading are repealed.

Plain Language Summary

Section 16 was a transitional provision from 1976 dealing with the conversion of old government annuity contracts. Nearly 50 years later, it has done its job and is being cleaned off the books. This is pure legislative housekeeping — no new powers, no new obligations, nothing removed that still matters.