Bill C-41 · 37th Parliament · Jean Chrétien
An Act to amend the Canadian Commercial Corporation Act
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedNov. 7, 2001
- Debated in principleNov. 20, 2001
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberDec. 5, 2001
- Passed the second chamberFeb. 20, 2002
- Became lawMarch 21, 2002
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Jean ChrétienPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
58% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (1,281 words introduced, 844 passed).
substantial changeintent mostly kept
The bill created a separate Chairperson role alongside the President and updated appointment and duty provisions. Minor wording, structure, and the addition of the assent date were adjusted during passage.
- Added royal assent date to the bill title.
After: “[Assented to 21st March, 2002]”
- Replaced original chairman provisions with new Chairperson and President structure.
Before: “(3) The President or, in the absence of the President, such person as may be appointed under the by-laws or by the directors of the Corporation, shall be chairman of the Board.”
After: “3.2 (1) The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Board and shall perform any other duties that are assigned by the by-laws or by resolution of the Board.”
- Added provision for acting President when office is vacant.
After: “(4) If the President is absent or unable to act or the office of President is vacant, the Board may appoint a director or an officer of the Corporation to act as President and shall fix the remuneration and terms and conditions of the appointment.”
How precisely it is written
mixedChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill mixes clear numerical limits and defined roles with repeated subjective phrases that let officials decide what is appropriate or necessary. This creates pockets of precision alongside broad discretion that could lead to disputes over scope.
Open to argument
“amount that it considers appropriate for providing services”
Uses the subjective standard 'considers appropriate' instead of an objective test or fixed formula.“for any term that the Governor in Council considers appropri”
Leaves term length to the opinion of the Governor in Council without objective criteria.
Clear-cut
“the total amount outstanding on all of those loans at any time shall not exceed $90 million”
Sets a hard dollar cap that can only be changed by appropriation Act.“No person may be appointed for a term of more than 90 days without the approval of the Governor in Council”
Provides a fixed 90-day limit with a clear approval requirement.
Discretion. Extensive power is left to the Governor in Council for appointments and terms, the Minister of Finance for loan conditions, the Board for by-laws and acting appointments, and the Corporation itself for staffing and service charges.
Challenging the law itself. The provisions mainly allocate corporate powers and internal governance with no obvious engagement of Charter rights such as expression or liberty, making a vagueness or overbreadth challenge difficult.
Disputing a charge under it. The rules govern what the Corporation and officials may do rather than imposing duties on private persons, so disputes would centre on administrative law rather than proving breach by an accused individual.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
no evaluation found
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.