OFFENCES AND PUNISHMENT

Contravention of Act or regulations

12. (1) Every person who contravenes or fails to comply with, or whose employer or agent contravenes or fails to comply with, any provision of this Act or the regulations is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both.

Recovery of fines

(2) Where a person is convicted of an offence under subsection (1) and a fine imposed as punishment is not paid when required, the prosecutor may, by filing the conviction, enter as a judgment the amount of the fine and costs, if any, in the superior court of the province in which the trial was held, and the judgment is enforceable against the person in the same manner as if it were a judgment rendered against the person in that court in civil proceedings.

Offence by agent or by employee

(3) In a prosecution for an offence under this Act, it is sufficient proof of the offence to establish that it was committed by an employee or agent of the accused, whether or not the employee or agent is identified or has been prosecuted for the offence, unless the accused establishes that the offence was committed without his or her knowledge or consent and that the accused exercised all due diligence to prevent its commission.

Limitation period

13. (1) Proceedings by way of summary conviction in respect of an offence under this Act may be instituted within three years after the time that the subject-matter of the prosecution becomes known to the Minister.

Minister's certificate

(2) A document purporting to have been issued by the Minister, certifying the day on which the subject-matter of any prosecution became known to the Minister, is admissible in evidence without proof of the signature or official character of the person appearing to have signed the document and is evidence of the matters asserted in it.

Certificate of analyst

14. (1) A certificate of an analyst stating that the analyst has examined a substance or a sample submitted to him or her by an inspector and stating the result of the examination is, in a prosecution for an offence under this Act, evidence of the statement contained in the certificate.

Admissibility

(2) In a prosecution for an offence under this Act, a document purporting to be the certificate of an analyst shall be received in evidence without proof of the signature or official character of the person by whom it purports to be signed.

Venue

15. A complaint or information in respect of an offence under this Act may be heard, tried or determined by a provincial court judge or a justice if the accused is resident or carrying on business within the territorial jurisdiction of the provincial court judge or justice, although the matter of the complaint or information did not arise in that territorial jurisdiction.

POWERS OF MINISTER

Regulations

16. The Minister may make regulations

    (a) designating a term as a dairy term;

    (b) determining, for the purposes of sections 2 and 6, the cases in which milk, a milk product or a milk constituent ceases to be milk, a milk product or a milk constituent after having been treated, converted or reconstituted, and the criteria whereby milk is to be considered an essential part, in terms of quantity or for characterization, in the making of a composite product;

    (c) defining, for the purposes of this Act and the regulations, the expressions ``treating'', ``converting'' and ``reconstituting'' when they apply to milk or a milk product; and

    (d) generally, for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this Act.

1997, c. 6

CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENT: CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY ACT

17. Section 13 of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (3):

Dairy terms inspectors

(4) The President may designate any person or class of persons as inspectors for the purposes of the Dairy Terms Act.