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Bill C-36

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Appeal to Federal Court of Appeal

38.09 (1) An order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) may be appealed to the Federal Court of Appeal.

Limitation period for appeal

(2) An appeal shall be brought within 10 days after the day on which the order is made or within any further time that the Court considers appropriate in the circumstances.

Limitation periods for appeals to Supreme Court of Canada

38.1 Notwithstanding any other Act of Parliament,

    (a) an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada from a judgment made on appeal shall be made within 10 days after the day on which the judgment appealed from is made or within any further time that the Supreme Court of Canada considers appropriate in the circumstances; and

    (b) if leave to appeal is granted, the appeal shall be brought in the manner set out in subsection 60(1) of the Supreme Court Act but within the time specified by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Special rules

38.11 (1) A hearing under subsection 38.04(5) or an appeal or review of an order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) shall be heard in private and, at the request of either the Attorney General of Canada or, in the case of a proceeding under Part III of the National Defence Act, the Minister of National Defence, shall be heard in the National Capital Region, as described in the schedule to the National Capital Act.

Ex parte representation s

(2) The judge conducting a hearing under subsection 38.04(5) or the court hearing an appeal or review of an order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) may give any person who makes representations under paragraph 38.04(5)(d), and shall give the Attorney General of Canada and, in the case of a proceeding under Part III of the National Defence Act, the Minister of National Defence, the opportunity to make representations ex parte.

Protective order

38.12 (1) The judge conducting a hearing under subsection 38.04(5) or the court hearing an appeal or review of an order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) may make any order that the judge or the court considers appropriate in the circumstances to protect the confidentiality of the information to which the hearing, appeal or review relates.

Court records

(2) The court records relating to the hearing, appeal or review are confidential. The judge or the court may order that the records be sealed and kept in a location to which the public has no access.

Prohibition certificate

38.13 (1) The Attorney General of Canada may personally issue a certificate that prohibits the disclosure of information in connection with a proceeding for the purpose of protecting information obtained in confidence from, or in relation to, a foreign entity as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Security of Information Act or for the purpose of protecting national defence or national security. The certificate may only be issued after an order or decision that would result in the disclosure of the information to be subject to the certificate has been made under this or any other Act of Parliament.

Military proceedings

(2) In the case of a proceeding under Part III of the National Defence Act, the Attorney General of Canada may issue the certificate only with the agreement, given personally, of the Minister of National Defence.

Service of certificate

(3) The Attorney General of Canada shall cause a copy of the certificate to be served on

    (a) the person presiding or designated to preside at the proceeding to which the information relates or, if no person is designated, the person who has the authority to designate a person to preside;

    (b) every party to the proceeding;

    (c) every person who gives notice under section 38.01 in connection with the proceeding;

    (d) every person who, in connection with the proceeding, may disclose, is required to disclose or may cause the disclosure of the information about which the Attorney General of Canada has received notice under section 38.01;

    (e) every party to a hearing under subsection 38.04(5) or to an appeal of an order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) in relation to the information;

    (f) the judge who conducts a hearing under subsection 38.04(5) and any court that hears an appeal from, or review of, an order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) in relation to the information; and

    (g) any other person who, in the opinion of the Attorney General of Canada, should be served.

Filing of certificate

(4) The Attorney General of Canada shall cause a copy of the certificate to be filed

    (a) with the person responsible for the records of the proceeding to which the information relates; and

    (b) in the Registry of the Federal Court and the registry of any court that hears an appeal from, or review of, an order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3).

Effect of certificate

(5) If the Attorney General of Canada issues a certificate, then, notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, disclosure of the information shall be prohibited in accordance with the terms of the certificate.

Statutory Instruments Act does not apply

(6) The Statutory Instruments Act does not apply to a certificate issued under subsection (1).

Publication

(7) The Attorney General of Canada shall, without delay after a certificate is issued, cause the certificate to be published in the Canada Gazette.

Restriction

(8) The certificate and any matters arising out of it are not subject to review or to be restrained, prohibited, removed, set aside or otherwise dealt with, except in accordance with section 38.131.

Expiration

(9) The certificate expires 15 years after the day on which it is issued and may be reissued.

Application for review of certificate

38.131 (1) A party to the proceeding referred to in section 38.13 may apply to the Federal Court of Appeal for an order varying or cancelling a certificate issued under that section on the grounds referred to in subsection (8) or (9), as the case may be.

Notice to Attorney General of Canada

(2) The applicant shall give notice of the application to the Attorney General of Canada.

Military proceedings

(3) In the case of proceedings under Part III of the National Defence Act, notice under subsection (2) shall be given to both the Attorney General of Canada and the Minister of National Defence.

Single judge

(4) Notwithstanding section 16 of the Federal Court Act, for the purposes of the application, the Federal Court of Appeal consists of a single judge of that Court.

Admissible information

(5) In considering the application, the judge may receive into evidence anything that, in the opinion of the judge, is reliable and appropriate, even if it would not otherwise be admissible under Canadian law, and may base a determination made under any of subsections (8) to (10) on that evidence.

Special rules and protective order

(6) Sections 38.11 and 38.12 apply, with any necessary modifications, to an application made under subsection (1).

Expedited consideration

(7) The judge shall consider the application as soon as reasonably possible, but not later than 10 days after the application is made under subsection (1).

Varying the certificate

(8) If the judge determines that some of the information subject to the certificate does not relate either to information obtained in confidence from, or in relation to, a foreign entity as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Security of Information Act, or to national defence or security, the judge shall make an order varying the certificate accordingly.

Cancelling the certificate

(9) If the judge determines that none of the information subject to the certificate relates to information obtained in confidence from, or in relation to, a foreign entity as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Security of Information Act, or to national defence or security, the judge shall make an order cancelling the certificate.

Confirming the certificate

(10) If the judge determines that all of the information subject to the certificate relates to information obtained in confidence from, or in relation to, a foreign entity as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Security of Information Act, or to national defence or security, the judge shall make an order confirming the certificate.

Determination is final

(11) Notwithstanding any other Act of Parliament, a determination of a judge under any of subsections (8) to (10) is final and is not subject to review or appeal by any court.

Publication

(12) If a certificate is varied or cancelled under this section, the Attorney General of Canada shall, as soon as possible after the decision of the judge and in a manner that mentions the original publication of the certificate, cause to be published in the Canada Gazette

    (a) the certificate as varied under subsection (8); or

    (b) a notice of the cancellation of the certificate under subsection (9).

Protection of right to a fair trial

38.14 (1) The person presiding at a criminal proceeding may make any order that he or she considers appropriate in the circumstances to protect the right of the accused to a fair trial, as long as that order complies with the terms of any order made under any of subsections 38.06(1) to (3) in relation to that proceeding, any judgment made on appeal from, or review of, the order, or any certificate issued under section 38.13.

Potential orders

(2) The orders that may be made under subsection (1) include, but are not limited to, the following orders:

    (a) an order dismissing specified counts of the indictment or information, or permitting the indictment or information to proceed only in respect of a lesser or included offence;

    (b) an order effecting a stay of the proceedings; and

    (c) an order finding against any party on any issue relating to information the disclosure of which is prohibited.

Fiat

38.15 (1) If sensitive information or potentially injurious information may be disclosed in connection with a prosecution that is not instituted by the Attorney General of Canada or on his or her behalf, the Attorney General of Canada may issue a fiat and serve the fiat on the prosecutor.

Effect of fiat

(2) When a fiat is served on a prosecutor, the fiat establishes the exclusive authority of the Attorney General of Canada with respect to the conduct of the prosecution described in the fiat or any related process.

Fiat filed in court

(3) If a prosecution described in the fiat or any related process is conducted by or on behalf of the Attorney General of Canada, the fiat or a copy of the fiat shall be filed with the court in which the prosecution or process is conducted.

Fiat constitutes conclusive proof

(4) The fiat or a copy of the fiat

    (a) is conclusive proof that the prosecution described in the fiat or any related process may be conducted by or on behalf of the Attorney General of Canada; and

    (b) is admissible in evidence without proof of the signature or official character of the Attorney General of Canada.

Military proceedings

(5) This section does not apply to a proceeding under Part III of the National Defence Act.

Regulations

38.16 The Governor in Council may make any regulations that the Governor in Council considers necessary to carry into effect the purposes and provisions of sections 38 to 38.15, including regulations respecting the notices, certificates and the fiat.

Confidences of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada

44. The Act is amended by adding, after section 54, the schedule set out in Schedule 2 to this Act.

Consequential Amendments

R.S., c. H-6

Canadian Human Rights Act

1998, c. 9, s. 30

45. Section 58 of the Canadian Human Rights Act is replaced by the following:

Application respecting disclosure of information

58. (1) Subject to subsection (2), if an investigator or a member or panel of the Tribunal requires the disclosure of any information and a minister of the Crown or any other interested person objects to its disclosure, the Commission may apply to the Federal Court for a determination of the matter and the Court may take any action that it considers appropriate.

Canada Evidence Act

(2) An objection to disclosure shall be determined in accordance with the Canada Evidence Act if

    (a) under subsection (1), a minister of the Crown or other official objects to the disclosure in accordance with sections 37 to 37.3 or section 39 of that Act;

    (b) within 90 days after the day on which the Commission applies to the Federal Court, a minister of the Crown or other official objects to the disclosure in accordance with sections 37 to 37.3 or section 39 of that Act; or

    (c) at any time, an objection to the disclosure is made, or a certificate is issued, in accordance with sections 38 to 38.13 of that Act.

R.S., c. I-2

Immigration Act

R.S., c. 29 (4th Supp.), s. 12(1)

46. Subsection 103.1(8) of the Immigration Act is replaced by the following:

Application to have order quashed

(8) Any person excluded by an order under subsection (7) from all or any part of the review under subsection (2) or (3) may apply to the Chief Justice of the Federal Court or to a judge of that Court designated by the Chief Justice for the purposes of this subsection to have the order quashed, and sections 37 to 38.16 of the Canada Evidence Act apply, with any modifications that the circumstances require, to such applications.