Marginal note:Authorization of inquiry

• 13. (1) The Minister may, for any purpose related to the administration or enforcement of this Act, authorize any person, whether or not the person is an officer, to make any inquiry that the Minister considers necessary with reference to anything relating to the administration or enforcement of this Act.

• Marginal note:Appointment of hearing officer

  (2) If the Minister authorizes a person to make an inquiry, the Minister shall without delay apply to the Tax Court for an order appointing a hearing officer before whom the inquiry will be held.

• Marginal note:Powers of hearing officer

  (3) For the purposes of an inquiry, a hearing officer has all of the powers conferred on a commissioner under sections 4 and 5 of the Inquiries Act and that may be conferred on a commissioner under section 11 of that Act.

• Marginal note:When powers to be exercised

  (4) A hearing officer shall exercise the powers conferred on a commissioner under section 4 of the Inquiries Act in relation to any person that the person authorized to make the inquiry considers appropriate for the conduct of the inquiry, but the hearing officer shall not exercise the power to punish any person unless, on application by the hearing officer, a judge certifies that the power may be exercised in the matter disclosed in the application and the applicant has given to the person in respect of whom the power is proposed to be exercised 24 hours notice of the hearing of the application, or any shorter notice that the judge considers reasonable.

• Marginal note:Rights of witnesses

  (5) Any person who gives evidence in an inquiry is entitled to be represented by counsel and, on request made by the person to the Minister, to receive a transcript of that evidence.

• Marginal note:Rights of person investigated

  (6) Any person whose affairs are investigated in the course of an inquiry is entitled to be present and to be represented by counsel throughout the inquiry unless the hearing officer, on application by the Minister or a person giving evidence, orders otherwise in relation to the whole or any part of the inquiry, on the ground that the presence of the person and their counsel, or either of them, would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of the inquiry.

Marginal note:Issuance

• 14. (1) Subject to the regulations, on application, the Minister may issue to a person

  • (a) a spirits licence, authorizing the person to produce or package spirits;

  • (b) a wine licence, authorizing the person to produce or package wine;

  • (c) a user’s licence, authorizing the person to use bulk alcohol, non-duty-paid packaged alcohol or a restricted formulation;

  • (d) a tobacco licence, authorizing the person to manufacture tobacco products; or

  • (e) a tobacco dealer’s licence, authorizing the person to carry on the activity of a tobacco dealer.

• Marginal note:Deemed packaging excluded

  (2) A person is not entitled to a licence under paragraph (1)(a) or (b) by reason only of having been deemed to have packaged alcohol under section 77 or 82.

• Marginal note:Production excluded

  (3) A person is not entitled to a licence under paragraph (1)(a) by reason only of

  • (a) having been deemed to have produced spirits under section 131.2; or

  • (b) having produced spirits for the purpose or as a consequence of the analysis of the composition of a substance containing absolute ethyl alcohol.

• Marginal note:Issuance of a wine licence

  (4) Subject to the regulations, on application by a person who is the holder of a spirits licence and a user’s licence, the Minister may issue to the person a wine licence, authorizing the person to fortify wine.