Bill C-228
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1st Session, 36th Parliament, 46 Elizabeth II, 1997
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The House of Commons of Canada
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BILL C-228 |
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An Act to promote the use of plain language
in federal statutes and regulations
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SHORT TITLE |
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| Short title
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1. This Act may be cited as the Plain
Language Act.
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INTERPRETATION |
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| Definitions
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2. In this Act
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| ``Language
Review
Committee'' « Comité de révision linguis- tique »
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``Language Review Committee'' means the
Committee established by section 3;
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| ``regulation'' « règlement »
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``regulation'' means a regulation within the
meaning of section 2 of the Statutory Instru
ments Act;
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| ``regulation- making authority'' « autorité réglemen- taire »
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``regulation-making authority'' means a regu
lation making authority within the meaning
of section 2 of the Statutory Instruments
Act.
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CONSTITUTION OF AUTHORITY |
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| Language
Committee
established
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3. There is hereby established a committee
called the Language Review Committee con
sisting of three members from each political
party represented in the House of Commons
and a Chairperson who is a member of any
political party represented in the House.
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| Appointment
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4. At the commencement of each session of
Parliament, the Speaker of the House of
Commons shall appoint the members of the
Language Review Committee as well as the
Chairperson of that Committee.
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DUTIES AND POWERS OF LANGUAGE REVIEW COMMITTEE |
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| Duties
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5. Subject to section 9, the Language
Review Committee shall review
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and shall recommend and report to the House
of Commons any changes that in its opinion
will simplify the language in that bill or pro
posed regulation.
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| Powers
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6. The Language Review Committee may
engage, on a temporary basis, the services of
persons having specialized knowledge of any
matter relating to the work of the Committee
to advise and assist the Committee in the
performance of its duties.
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REFERENCE OF LEGISLATION TO LANGUAGE REVIEW COMMITTEE |
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| Bills to be
referred to
Committee
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7. (1) Subject to section 9, every bill that has
passed second reading in the House of Com
mons shall be referred forthwith to the Lan
guage Review Committee.
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| Deferred
reference
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(2) Where a bill described in subsection (1)
is to be referred, pursuant to the Standing
Orders of the House of Commons, to any
committee referred to in those Orders, no such
reference shall occur until the bill has been
referred to and reported on by the Language
Review Committee.
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| Draft of
proposed
regulations to
be referred to
Committee
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8. (1) Notwithstanding any other Act of
Parliament, every regulation-making author
ity shall refer to the Language Review Com
mittee a draft of every regulation it proposes
to make and shall not make the regulation until
the draft has been reported on by the Commit
tee.
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| Application
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(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a
proposed regulation that, if made, is required
to be published in the Canada Gazette under
the Statutory Instruments Act.
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| Exemption
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9. This Act does not apply to a Government
bill where the Government House Leader
advises the House of Commons, after the
introduction of the bill in the House, that the
bill is exempt from review by the Language
Review Committee.
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COMING INTO FORCE |
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| Coming into
force
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10. This Act shall come into force two
months after it is assented to.
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