Bill C-366

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First Reading

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	1st Session, 37th Parliament, 49-50 Elizabeth II, 2001
	House of Commons of Canada
	BILL C-366
	An Act respecting seat belts in federal vehicles and school buses
	Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
Short title	1. This Act may be cited as the Canada Seat Belt Act.
Definitions	2. The following definitions apply in this Act.
``federal vehicle'' « véhicule fédéral »	``federal vehicle'' means a vehicle that is intended for operation on a public highway, or that may be used from time to time on a public highway, and that is subject to federal jurisdiction or under the jurisdiction of a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and for greater certainty, includes vehicles operated by or for the Canadian Forces.
``Minister'' « ministre »	``Minister'' means the Minister of Transportation.
``seat belt'' « ceinture de sécurité »	``seat belt'' means a device to restrain the body of a driver or passenger from dangerous movement in the event of an emergency in a vehicle that is of a design that complies with the regulations made under subsection 4(1) and with the requirements of the law of any province in which the vehicle is to be operated.
Seat belts required	3. (1) No later than January 1, 2002, the Minister shall ensure that no federal vehicle is operated on a public highway unless it is equipped with seat belts for the driver and every passenger in the vehicle and that the seat belts are worn by the driver and passengers at all times the vehicle is being so operated.
Penalty	(2) No later than January 1, 2002, the Minister must ensure that regulations are in force that provide for the application of a penalty for any driver or passenger of a federal vehicle who fails to comply with subsection (1).
Regulations for exemptions	4. (1) The Minister may make regulations
	(a) prescribing the design of seat belts; and
	(b) exempting any vehicle or class of vehicles or circumstances of operation from this Act, if the safety of any driver and passengers of the vehicle or class of vehicles and the safety of the general public will not thereby be impaired.
School buses excepted	(2) Paragraph (1)(b) does not apply to vehicles that are regularly used for the transportation of students of any age.
Provincial laws	5. (1) The Minister shall consult with the minister of the Crown responsible for transportation safety in every province to attempt to obtain agreement of every province to require seat belts to be installed and used in all vehicles under the provinces jurisdiction that are regularly used for the transportation of students of any age.
Tabling of report	(2) The Minister shall cause to be laid before each House of Parliament a report on the results of consultations undertaken pursuant to subsection (1), no later than the fifth day on which each House sits following the expiry of a year after the day this Act comes into force.