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Bill C-80

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Inspection certificate, etc.

40. An inspector who is satisfied that a regulated product meets the requirements of an Act mentioned in subsection 11(1) or its regulations may

    (a) issue an inspection certificate in respect of the regulated product;

    (b) in the case of any food, agricultural or aquatic commodity or agricultural input, apply or allow to be applied to it an inspection mark; or

    (c) in the case of any agricultural or aquatic commodity or agricultural input, allow a grade name to be used in respect of it.

Reinspection

41. A person who is dissatisfied with a decision of an inspector taken as a result of an inspection, other than a decision that is based on health and safety, may request a reinspection in accordance with the regulations.

Order to Remove Unlawful Importation

Removal of unlawful importations

42. (1) An inspector who believes on reasonable grounds that food or an agricultural or aquatic commodity or agricultural input has been imported in contravention of any Act mentioned in subsection 11(1) or its regulations may require its owner or the person having the possession, care or control of the food, commodity or input to remove it from Canada.

Notice

(2) The requirement shall be communicated by sending, including by personal delivery, a notice to the owner or person having the possession, care or control of the food, agricultural or aquatic commodity or agricultural input. The notice may specify the period within which and the manner in which it is to be removed from Canada.

Restricting or Prohibiting Movement

Restricting or prohibiting movement

43. (1) An inspector may, during an inspection or at any other time, restrict or prohibit the movement of a regulated product in order to determine whether the regulated product meets the requirements of the Acts mentioned in subsection 11(1) and their regulations.

Notice of restriction or prohibition

(2) The restriction or prohibition shall be communicated by sending, including by personal delivery, a notice to the owner or person having the possession, care or control of the regulated product.

Rescission

(3) The inspector shall without delay rescind the restriction or prohibition if the inspector determines that the regulated product meets those requirements.

Notice of rescission

(4) The rescission shall be communicated by sending, including by personal delivery, a notice to the person to whom the notice mentioned in subsection (2) was delivered or given.

Seizure

Power to seize

44. (1) In the course of exercising any powers under section 34, an inspector may seize and detain any regulated product or other thing if the inspector believes on reasonable grounds it is a thing by means of or in relation to which an offence against an Act mentioned in subsection 11(1), or a violation, was committed or it affords evidence of such an offence or violation.

Limitation

(2) An inspector shall not seize any thing under subsection (1) unless the thing is required as evidence or for purposes of analysis or the inspector is of the opinion that the seizure is otherwise necessary for the administration or enforcement of any Act mentioned in subsection 11(1).

Seizure when movement restricted or prohibited

45. If the movement of a regulated product is restricted or prohibited under subsection 43(1) and an inspector determines that the regulated product does not meet the requirements of the Acts mentioned in subsection 11(1) or their regulations, the inspector may seize the regulated product without delay.

Searches

Searches

46. (1) An inspector or a peace officer with a warrant issued under this section may enter and search any place, including a conveyance, in which the inspector or peace officer believes on reasonable grounds there is a regulated product or other thing by means of or in relation to which an offence against an Act mentioned in subsection 11(1) has been committed or that will afford evidence of such an offence.

Authority to issue warrant

(2) If on ex parte application a provincial court judge or a justice of the peace is satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there is in any place, including a conveyance, a regulated product or other thing referred to in subsection (1), the judge or justice may issue a warrant authorizing the inspector or peace officer named in the warrant to enter and search the place for the regulated product or other thing, subject to any conditions specified in the warrant.

Form of warrant

(3) A warrant issued under subsection (2) may be in any form that the provincial court judge or the justice of the peace considers appropriate.

Telewarrant

(4) If an inspector or a peace officer believes on reasonable grounds that there is in any place, including a conveyance, a regulated product or other thing by means of or in relation to which an offence against an Act mentioned in subsection 11(1) has been committed or that will afford evidence of such an offence and that it would be impracticable to appear personally before a provincial court judge or a justice of the peace to make application for a warrant under subsection (2), a warrant may be issued under this section by telephone or other means of telecommunication on an information submitted by telephone or other means of telecommunication and, for that purpose, section 487.1 of the Criminal Code applies, with any modifications that the circumstances require.

When warrant not necessary

(5) An inspector may exercise the power of search referred to in subsection (1) without a warrant if the conditions for obtaining a warrant exist but by reason of exigent circumstances it would not be practical to obtain one.

Execution of search warrant

(6) A warrant shall be executed by day unless the judge or justice authorizes its execution by night.

Powers during search

(7) In carrying out a search of a place or conveyance under this section, an inspector may exercise any power mentioned in section 34, 36, 38 or 44.

DISPOSITION OF THINGS SEIZED

Notice of reason for seizure

47. An inspector who seizes a regulated product or any other thing under this Act shall, as soon as is practicable, advise the owner of the thing or the person having the possession, care or control of it at the time of its seizure of the reason for the seizure.

Storage, removal, disposal, etc.

48. (1) An inspector who seizes a regulated product or any other thing under this Act, or any person authorized to do so by the inspector, may

    (a) store, treat or quarantine it at the place where it was seized or remove it to any other place for storage, treatment or quarantine;

    (b) require its owner or the person having the possession, care or control of it at the time of its seizure to store, treat or quarantine it at the place where it was seized or to remove it to any other place and to store, treat or quarantine it; or

    (c) dispose of it if it is perishable or susceptible to deterioration or is an animal or a plant or a thing that is a pest, is suspected of being a pest, is infested with a pest, is suspected of being infested with a pest or that constitutes a biological obstacle to the control of a pest.

Proceeds

(2) The net proceeds from a disposition under paragraph (1)(c) are to be paid to the Receiver General.

Notice

(3) A requirement under paragraph (1)(b) shall be communicated by sending, including by personal delivery, a notice to the owner or person having the possession, care or control of the seized thing. The notice may specify, as the case may be, the period within which the seized thing is to be removed, the period for which it is to be stored, treated or quarantined and the manner in which it is to be removed, stored, treated or quarantined.

Notice for removal or disposal

49. If an inspector believes on reasonable grounds that a regulated product seized or the movement of which is restricted or prohibited under this Act does not meet the requirements of an Act mentioned in subsection 11(1) or its regulations, the inspector may

    (a) in the case of food or an agricultural or aquatic commodity or agricultural input that has been imported, send a notice to its owner or the person having the possession, care or control of the food, commodity or input to remove it from Canada, or to dispose of it, in the manner and within the period specified in the notice; or

    (b) in any other case, send a notice to the owner of the regulated product requiring the owner to dispose of it in the manner and within the period specified in the notice.

Re-delivery on deposit of security

50. The court in which proceedings are or may be brought for an offence against any Act mentioned in subsection 11(1) may order the return of any thing seized under this Act or of the net proceeds from its disposition to the person from whom it was seized if the person provides the Agency with security in a form and in an amount satisfactory to the court. The Tribunal may make a similar order in the case of a violation.

Duration of detention

51. (1) Subject to subsection (2), any thing seized under this Act or the net proceeds from its disposition may not be detained after

    (a) an inspector determines that the thing meets the requirements of the Acts mentioned in subsection 11(1) and their regulations; or

    (b) the expiry of one hundred and eighty days after the day of seizure or any longer period that may be prescribed.

Exception

(2) If proceedings are instituted in relation to any thing seized under this Act, the seized thing or the net proceeds from its disposition may be detained until the proceedings are concluded.

Application for return

(3) If proceedings are instituted in relation to any thing seized under this Act and the seized thing has not been disposed of or forfeited under this Act, its owner or the person having the possession, care or control of it at the time of its seizure may apply, in the case of a violation, to the Tribunal, and in the case of an offence, to the court before which the proceedings are being held, for an order that it be returned.

Order

(4) After hearing the application, the Tribunal or court may order the seized thing to be returned, subject to any conditions necessary to ensure its preservation for any purpose for which it may subsequently be required, if the Tribunal or the court is satisfied that sufficient evidence exists or may reasonably be obtained without further detaining it and

    (a) in the case of an animal, it is not or is not suspected of being affected or contaminated by a disease or toxic substance as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Health of Animals Act; or

    (b) in the case of a plant, it is not or is not suspected of being a pest, it is not or is not suspected of being infested with a pest and it does not constitute a biological obstacle to the control of a pest.

FORFEITURE

Unclaimed goods

52. (1) Any thing seized under this Act is, despite section 51, forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada if the owner or the person entitled to its possession does not claim it within sixty days after the date of its seizure.

Exception

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if proceedings have commenced in relation to the violation or offence in respect of which the thing was seized.

Non-
compliance with removal or disposal notice

53. If a person who is given a removal or disposal notice under section 42 or 49 does not comply with the notice within the period specified in it, the regulated product to which the notice relates is, despite section 51, forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada.

Ownership not ascertainable

54. If the ownership of any thing seized under this Act cannot be ascertained within a reasonable time despite reasonable attempts to find the owner, the thing is, despite section 51, forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada.

Forfeiture certificate

55. When a thing is forfeited under section 52, 53 or 54 , the Agency shall provide its former owner or the person having the possession, care or control of it at the time it was seized with a forfeiture certificate.

Commission of offence or violation - regulated products

56. (1) If the Tribunal or the Minister, after conducting a review, decides that a person has committed a violation, or if a person is convicted of an offence against an Act mentioned in subsection 11(1), any regulated product seized under this Act by means of or in relation to which the violation or offence was committed or the net proceeds from its disposition is forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada.

Commission of offence or violation - other things

(2) If the Tribunal or the Minister, after conducting a review, decides that a person has committed a violation, or if a person is convicted of an offence under any Act mentioned in subsection 11(1), the Tribunal, the Minister or the convicting court may, on their own motion or at the request of any party to the proceedings, in addition to any penalty or punishment imposed, order the forfeiture to Her Majesty in right of Canada of any thing seized under this Act, other than a regulated product, by means of or in relation to which the violation or offence was committed or of the net proceeds realized from its disposition.

Consensual forfeiture

57. If the owner of a thing seized under this Act consents, at any time, to its forfeiture, the thing is forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada.

Disposal of forfeited things

58. A thing that is forfeited under this Act may be disposed of in the manner that the President considers appropriate.

Return of thing seized if no forfeiture ordered

59. (1) If a thing seized under this Act is not ordered forfeit under subsection 56(2), the thing or the net proceeds from its disposition or any security given for it must be returned to the person from whom it was seized.

Exception

(2) If the Tribunal or the Minister, after conducting a review, decides that the owner of a thing seized under this Act or the person having the possession, care or control of it at the time of its seizure has committed a violation, or the owner of a thing seized under this Act or the person having the possession, care or control of it at the time of its seizure is convicted of an offence under any Act mentioned in subsection 11(1), and a penalty or fine, as the case may be, is imposed,

    (a) the thing, the net proceeds from its disposition or any security given for it may be retained until the penalty or fine is paid;

    (b) the thing may be sold in satisfaction of the penalty or fine; or

    (c) the net proceeds or the security or any part of it may be applied in payment of the penalty or fine.

SAMPLES

Disposition of samples

60. (1) A sample taken under this Act may be disposed of in any manner that the Agency considers appropriate.

Agency not liable

(2) The Agency is not liable for any costs, loss or damage resulting from the taking or disposition of a sample under this Act.