Bill C-42 · 39th Parliament · Stephen Harper
An Act to amend the Museums Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedFeb. 11, 2008
- Debated in principleFeb. 13, 2008
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberFeb. 13, 2008
- Passed the second chamberMarch 4, 2008
- Became lawMarch 13, 2008
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Stephen HarperPrime Minister
- Consiglio Di NinoSenate · Sponsor in the Senate
- Rod A. A. ZimmerSenate · SenatorAs critic and Winnipeg senator, expressed pleasure at third reading and gratitude for committee support without amendment.
- Maria ChaputSenate · SenatorDescribed the museum's national and international scope and urged passage to advance human rights dialogue.
- Terry StrattonSenate · SenatorThanked key figures for their vision in creating the museum and urged passage.
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
59% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (1,968 words introduced, 1,609 passed).
substantial changeintent kept
The bill passed with 59% of the introduced text changed. Core provisions creating the Canadian Museum for Human Rights stayed intact from introduction to royal assent.
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill defines museum material and lists specific powers for the new museum in an enumerated list, with fixed terms for directors. It leaves some room for interpretation through phrases like appropriate means and the broad natural-person capacity.
Open to argument
“subject to this Act, the capacity of a natural person”
Grants broad undefined powers that invite argument over scope.
Clear-cut
“for a term of not more than five years”
Uses a fixed numerical limit rather than a discretionary standard.“(a) collect museum material related to human rights; (b) maintain its collection by preservation, conservation or restoration”
Enumerates specific powers in an exhaustive list format.
Discretion. Governor in Council decides the first Director's appointment, remuneration, affiliated museums by by-law, and the coming-into-force date by order.
Challenging the law itself. The Act creates an institution and grants powers without directly limiting expression or other Charter rights, making a vagueness or overbreadth challenge unlikely to succeed.
Disputing a charge under it. The provisions establish corporate powers and appointments rather than imposing duties on individuals, so disputes over breach would be rare and mainly administrative.
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.