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Bill C-27

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Offences and Punishment

False information, etc.

187. No person shall knowingly, either orally or in writing, make any false or misleading statement or knowingly provide false or misleading information, to the Minister or a slot coordinator referred to in section 29 or to any person acting on behalf of the Minister in connection with any matter under this Act.

Obstruction of inspector

188. No person shall knowingly obstruct or hinder, or make any false or misleading statement either orally or in writing to, an inspector designated under section 183 who is engaged in carrying out his or her duties under this Act.

Offences with respect to reports

189. No person shall knowingly make or assist another person in making a document required to be made by this Act that

    (a) contains an untrue statement of a material fact; or

    (b) omits to state a material fact required or necessary to prevent a statement contained in it from being misleading, in the light of the circumstances in which the statement was made.

Offence

190. (1) Every person commits an offence who contravenes

    (a) any of sections 187 to 189; or

    (b) an order of the Governor in Council under section 14.

Punishment

(2) Every person who commits an offence referred to in subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction

    (a) in the case of an individual, to a fine of not more than $50,000; and

    (b) in the case of a corporation or an airport operator, to a fine of not more than $250,000.

Contravention of Act or regulations

191. (1) Every person commits an offence who contravenes

    (a) any order of the Governor in Council, other than an order under section 14, or direction of the Minister under this Act;

    (b) an order of the Agency under subsections 159(1) to (3); or

    (c) any provision of this Act or the regulations other than sections 187 to 189.

Punishment

(2) Every person who commits an offence referred to in subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction

    (a) in the case of an individual, to a fine of not more than $10,000; and

    (b) in the case of a corporation or an airport operator, to a fine of not more than $100,000.

Daily penalty

192. An offence under section 190 or 191 that is committed or continued on more than one day constitutes a separate offence in respect of each day during which it is committed or continued.

Officers, etc., of corporations

193. If a corporation commits an offence under this Act, every person who at the time of the commission of the offence was a director or officer of the corporation is guilty of the same offence unless the act or omission constituting the offence took place without the person's knowledge or consent or the person exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of the offence.

Administrative Monetary Penalties

Violations

Regulations

194. (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations

    (a) designating as a violation that may be proceeded with under sections 195 to 207 the contravention of any direction of the Minister or order of the Governor in Council under this Act, other than an order under section 14, of any order of the Agency under subsections 159(1) to (3), of any provision of this Act, other than sections 187 to 189, or of any provision of the regulations;

    (b) fixing a penalty, or establishing a range of penalties, in accordance with subsection (2), in respect of any violation;

    (c) respecting the service of documents required or authorized to be served under sections 197 to 207, including the manner and proof of service and the circumstances under which documents are deemed to be served;

    (d) establishing the form and content of notices of violation; and

    (e) generally, for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this section and sections 195 to 207.

Maximum penalties

(2) The maximum penalty for a violation is $5,000 in the case of a violation that is committed by an individual and $50,000 in the case of a violation that is committed by a corporation or an airport operator.

Daily penalty

(3) A violation that is committed or continued on more than one day constitutes a separate violation in respect of each day during which it is committed or continued.

Criteria for penalty

195. Except if a penalty is fixed under paragraph 194(1)(b), the amount of a penalty must, in each case, be determined taking into account

    (a) the degree of intention or negligence on the part of the person who committed the violation;

    (b) the harm done by the violation;

    (c) the history of the person who committed the violation with respect to any prior violation or conviction under this Act within the five-year period immediately before the violation; and

    (d) any other criteria that may be established by the regulations.

Proceedings

How act or omission may be proceeded with

196. A contravention that is designated under paragraph 194(1)(a) may be proceeded with either as a violation or as an offence. Proceeding in one manner precludes proceeding in the other.

Commission of violation

197. (1) If a contravention that is designated under paragraph 194(1)(a) is proceeded with as a violation, the person who commits the violation is liable to a penalty determined in accordance with sections 194 and 195.

Notice of violation

(2) If an inspector believes on reasonable grounds that a person has committed a violation, the inspector may issue and cause to be served on the person a notice of violation.

Contents of notice

(3) A notice of violation must name the person believed to have committed the violation, identify the violation and set out

    (a) the penalty that the inspector intends to impose;

    (b) the right of the person, within 30 days after the notice is served, or within any longer period that the Tribunal on application may allow, to pay the penalty or to file with the Tribunal a written request for a review of the facts of the alleged violation or of the amount of the penalty, and the manner for doing so; and

    (c) the fact that, if the person does not pay the penalty or request a review in accordance with the notice, the person is deemed to have committed the violation.

Proof of service

(4) The inspector must send to the Tribunal a copy of the violation notice and proof that it has been served on the person who is alleged to have committed the violation.

Determination of Responsibility and Penalty

Payment of penalty

198. If the person pays the penalty specified in the notice of violation, the person is deemed to have committed the violation and proceedings in respect of it are ended.

Failure to pay or to file request for review

199. (1) If a person fails to pay the amount of the penalty specified in the notice of violation within the time specified in it and does not file a request for a review, the person is deemed to have committed the violation alleged in the notice.

Certificate

(2) The Tribunal must issue a certificate to the Minister indicating that the Tribunal has received proof of service of the notice of violation and that there has been no request for review and the amount of the penalty set out in the notice. A copy of the certificate must be served on the person to whom the notice was issued.

Request for review

200. (1) A person who is served with a notice under subsection 197(2) and who wishes to have the facts of the alleged violation or the amount of the penalty reviewed must, within 30 days after the notice is served or within any further time that the Tribunal on application may allow, file a written request for a review with the Tribunal.

Time and place for review

(2) On receipt of a request filed under subsection (1), the Tribunal must appoint a date, time and place for the review and must notify the inspector who issued the notice and the person who filed the request of the time and place in writing.

Review procedure

(3) The member of the Tribunal assigned to conduct the review must provide the inspector who issued the notice and the person who filed the request with an opportunity to present evidence and make representations.

Burden of proof

(4) The inspector must establish, on the balance of probabilities, that a person has contravened a designated provision.

Determination of Tribunal

(5) The member of the Tribunal assigned to conduct the review may confirm the inspector's decision or, subject to any regulations made under paragraph 194(1)(b), substitute his or her determination for the inspector's decision.

Notice of determination and right of appeal

201. The Tribunal must cause notice of a determination made under section 200 to be issued and served on the person to whom the violation notice was issued and on the Minister, together with notice of the right of appeal under section 202.

Appeal

Right of appeal

202. (1) A person served with a notice under section 201 may, within 30 days after being served, appeal the determination to the Tribunal.

Loss of right of appeal

(2) A person who does not appear at a review hearing is not entitled to make an appeal under subsection (1) unless they establish that there was sufficient reason to justify their absence.

Disposition of appeal

(3) The appeal panel of the Tribunal assigned to hear the appeal may dispose of the appeal by dismissing it or allowing it. In allowing the appeal, the panel may substitute its determination for the determination appealed against.

Notice

(4) Where the appeal panel finds on an appeal that a person has committed a violation, the panel must without delay inform the person of the finding and, subject to any regulations made under paragraph 194(1)(b), of the amount determined by the panel to be payable by the person in respect of the violation.

Rules about Violations

Violations not offences

203. For greater certainty, a violation is not an offence. Accordingly, section 126 of the Criminal Code does not apply in respect of a violation.

Due diligence available

204. Due diligence is a defence in a proceeding in relation to a violation.

Publication

205. The Minister may make public the nature of a violation, the name of the person who committed it and the amount of the penalty imposed.

Enforcement

Debts to Her Majesty

206. (1) A penalty in respect of a violation constitutes a debt due to Her Majesty in right of Canada that may be recovered as such in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Time limit

(2) No proceedings to recover the debt may be commenced later than two years after the debt became payable.

Proceeds payable to Receiver General

(3) A penalty paid or recovered in respect of a violation under this Part is payable to and must be remitted to the Receiver General.

Certificate of default

207. (1) The unpaid amount of any debt referred to in subsection 206(1) may be certified by the Minister.

Registration of certificate

(2) Registration in a court of competent jurisdiction of a certificate made under subsection (1) has the same effect as a judgment of that court for a debt of the amount specified in the certificate and all related registration costs.

General Provisions

Evidence

208. In a proceeding in respect of a violation or a prosecution for an offence, a notice purporting to be issued under subsection 197(2) or section 201 or a certificate purporting to be made under subsection 199(2) or 207(1) is admissible in evidence without proof of the signature or official character of the person appearing to have signed it.

Time limit

209. (1) No proceeding in respect of a violation or a prosecution for an offence may be commenced later than two years after the subject-matter of the proceedings became known to the inspector.

Certificate of inspector

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

Restraining or compliance order

210. If an airport operator or any director, officer, employee, agent, mandatary, auditor, trustee, receiver, receiver-manager or liquidator of the airport operator does not comply with any provision of this Act, the regulations or the operator's by-laws, the Minister may, in addition to any other right the Minister has, apply to a court for an order directing any such person to comply with, or restraining any such person from acting in breach of, that provision, and on such application the court may so order and make any further order it thinks fit.