Bill C-21 · 37th Parliament · Paul Martin
An Act to amend the Customs Tariff
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedFeb. 24, 2004
- Debated in principleMarch 23, 2004
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberMarch 23, 2004
- Passed the second chamberApril 27, 2004
- Became lawApril 29, 2004
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Paul MartinPrime 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
61% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (315 words introduced, 228 passed).
substantial changeintent kept
The bill passed with its core purpose unchanged: extending the General Preferential Tariff and Least Developed Country Tariff to June 30, 2014. Explanatory notes quoting the old 2004 expiry dates were removed and the formal chapter text with royal assent date was added.
- Removed explanatory notes showing the original 2004 expiry provisions.
Before: “Sections 33 to 35 cease to have effect on June 30, 2004 or on such earlier date as may be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.”
- Added formal chapter heading and assent date to the enacted statute.
After: “52-53 ELIZABETH II —————— CHAPTER 13 An Act to amend the Customs Tariff [Assented to 29th April, 2004]”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill sets a fixed expiry date of June 30, 2014 for specific tariff sections and uses numbered ranges to identify them. It leaves open the possibility of an earlier end date chosen by cabinet order.
Open to argument
“or on such earlier date as may be fixed by order of the Governor in Council”
This phrase grants open-ended power without any stated criteria or limits on when or why the date may be changed.
Clear-cut
“June 30, 2014”
A concrete calendar date supplies an objective, easily verified cutoff.“Sections 33 to 35 cease to have effect”
Exact section numbers create a narrow and verifiable scope.
Discretion. The Governor in Council may unilaterally advance the expiry date without statutory standards or public process.
Challenging the law itself. The text contains no vague prohibitions or broad rights-impairing language that would readily engage Charter vagueness or overbreadth claims.
Disputing a charge under it. The provisions only set future expiry dates rather than creating ongoing conduct rules that a person could dispute factually.
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.