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Marine Liability Act (S.C. 2001, c. 6)

Assented to 2001-05-10

Marginal note:Inspection of premises
  •  (1) Any person designated in writing by the Minister for the purpose may, at any reasonable time, enter any premises where the person believes on reasonable grounds that there are any records, books of account, accounts, vouchers or other documents relating to amounts payable under section 93 and

    • (a) examine anything on the premises and copy or take away for further examination or copying any record, book of account, account, voucher or other document that they believe, on reasonable grounds, contains any information relevant to the enforcement of this Part; and

    • (b) require the owner, occupier or person in charge of the premises to give the person all reasonable assistance in connection with the examination under paragraph (a) and to answer all proper questions relating to the examination and, for that purpose, require the owner, occupier or person in charge of the premises to attend at those premises with the person.

  • Marginal note:Warrant to enter living quarters

    (2) Living quarters may not be entered under subsection (1) unless they are entered with the consent of the occupant or under the authority of a warrant issued under subsection (3).

  • Marginal note:Authority to issue warrant

    (3) On ex parte application, a justice, within the meaning of section 2 of the Criminal Code, may issue a warrant authorizing a person designated under subsection (1) to enter living quarters, subject to any conditions that may be specified in the warrant, if the justice is satisfied by information on oath that entry to the living quarters

    • (a) is necessary for the purpose of subsection (1); and

    • (b) has been refused or there are reasonable grounds to believe that it will be refused.

  • Marginal note:Certificate of designation

    (4) Persons designated by the Minister under subsection (1) shall be furnished with a certificate of their designation and, on entering any premises referred to in that subsection, shall produce the certificate on request to the owner, occupier or person in charge of the premises.

  • Marginal note:Report to Minister

    (5) On the conclusion of an examination under this section, the person conducting the examination shall transmit a full report of their findings to the Minister.

  • Marginal note:Return of original or copy of documents

    (6) The original or a copy of any record, book of account, account, voucher or other document taken away under paragraph (1)(a) shall be returned to the person from whose custody it was taken within 21 days after it was taken or within any longer period that is directed by a judge of a superior court for cause or agreed to by a person who is entitled to its return.

  • Marginal note:Notice of application for extension of time

    (7) An application to a judge mentioned in subsection (6) for a direction under that subsection may only be made on notice to the person from whose custody the record, book of account, account, voucher or other document was taken.

  • Marginal note:Copies of documents

    (8) A document purporting to be certified by the Minister to be a copy of a record, book of account, account, voucher or other document made under paragraph (1)(a) is admissible in evidence in any prosecution for an offence under this Part and is, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, proof of its contents.

  • Marginal note:Obstruction, false statements

    (9) No person shall obstruct or hinder anyone engaged in carrying out their duties and functions under this section, or knowingly make a false or misleading statement, either orally or in writing, to any person so engaged.

Marginal note:Interest on unpaid amounts

 If any portion of a levy is not paid as provided in subsection 93(3), interest may be charged on the amount from time to time outstanding, at a rate fixed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance, calculated from the time when the oil is unloaded from the ship or when the ship on which the oil was loaded leaves the facility at which it was loaded, as the case may be.

Annual Report

Marginal note:Annual report of Administrator
  •  (1) The Administrator shall, as soon as feasible after the end of each fiscal year, submit a report to the Minister, in any form that the Minister may direct, of the Administrator’s operations under this Part for that fiscal year.

  • Marginal note:Tabling

    (2) The Minister shall have the report laid before each House of Parliament on any of the first ten days on which that House is sitting after the day on which the Minister receives it.

Interest on Claims

Marginal note:Claimants entitled to interest
  •  (1) Interest accrues on a claim under this Part against an owner of a ship, the owner’s guarantor, the Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund or the International Fund at the rate prescribed under the Income Tax Act for amounts payable by the Minister of National Revenue as refunds of overpayments of tax under that Act in effect from time to time.

  • Marginal note:Time from which interest accrues

    (2) Interest referred to in subsection (1) accrues

    • (a) if the claim is based on paragraph 51(1)(a), from the day on which the oil pollution damage occurred;

    • (b) if the claim is based on paragraph 51(1)(b) or (c),

      • (i) in the case of costs and expenses, from the day on which they were incurred, or

      • (ii) in the case of loss or damage referred to in that paragraph, from the day on which the loss or damage occurred; or

    • (c) if the claim is for loss of income under section 88, from the time when the loss of income occurred.

Regulations

Marginal note:Regulations

 The Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister, make regulations

  • (a) prescribing anything that by this Part is to be prescribed by the regulations; and

  • (b) generally for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this Part.

Offences and Punishment

Marginal note:Evidence of financial responsibility
  •  (1) Any person who fails to produce a certificate or give details of it as and when required under subsection 60(4) is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000.

  • Marginal note:Detention of ship

    (2) A pollution prevention officer, designated pursuant to section 661 of the Canada Shipping Act, who has reasonable grounds for believing that an offence under subsection (1) has been committed in respect of a ship may make a detention order in respect of that ship, and section 672 of that Act applies to such a detention order with any modifications that the circumstances require.

Marginal note:Evading payment of levy
  •  (1) Any person who wilfully evades or attempts to evade payment of an amount payable under section 93 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.

  • Marginal note:Failure to file information return

    (2) Any person who fails to file an information return as and when required by regulations made under paragraph 96(b) or (c), containing substantially the information required to be included in the return, is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $100 for each day of default.

  • Marginal note:Failure to keep books and accounts

    (3) Any person who contravenes section 97 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.

  • Marginal note:Falsifying or destroying books

    (4) Any person who knowingly destroys, mutilates or falsifies, or who knowingly makes any false entry or statement in, any record, book of account or other document required to be kept under section 97 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.

  • Marginal note:Obstruction or false statements

    (5) Any person who contravenes subsection 76(4) or 98(9) is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.

Marginal note:Jurisdiction in relation to offences

 When a person is charged with having committed an offence under this Part, any court in Canada that would have had cognizance of the offence if it had been committed by a person within the limits of its ordinary jurisdiction has jurisdiction to try the offence as if it had been committed there.

PART 7VALIDATION OF CERTAIN BY-LAWS AND REGULATIONS

By-laws under the Canada Ports Corporation Act

Marginal note:By-laws deemed to be valid

 Each of the following by-laws is deemed for all purposes to have been validly made and to have had the same force and effect as if it had been made in accordance with the Canada Ports Corporation Act, and any harbour dues collected before the coming into force of this section under the authority purported to be granted by the by-law are deemed to have been validly collected:

  • (a) by-law amending the Harbour Dues Tariff By-law, made by Order in Council P.C. 1983-3905 of December 8, 1983, and registered as SOR/83-934;

  • (b) by-law amending the Pacific Harbour Dues Tariff By-law, made by Order in Council P.C. 1983-3906 of December 8, 1983, and registered as SOR/83-935; and

  • (c) by-law amending the Pacific Harbour Dues Tariff By-law, made by Order in Council P.C. 1985-541 of February 14, 1985, and registered as SOR/85-190.

Regulations under the Pilotage Act

Marginal note:Laurentian Pilotage Tariff Regulations, 1992

 The Laurentian Pilotage Tariff Regulations, 1992, made by Order in Council P.C. 1994-1508 of September 7, 1994, and registered as SOR/94-588, are deemed for all purposes to have been made on July 4, 1994 by the Laurentian Pilotage Authority with the approval of the Governor in Council under section 33 of the Pilotage Act, and any pilotage charges collected before the coming into force of this section under the authority purported to be granted by those Regulations are deemed to have been validly collected.

PART 8TRANSITIONAL, CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS, CONDITIONAL AMENDMENT, REPEAL AND COMING INTO FORCE

Transitional

Marginal note:Part 4

 Part 4 applies in respect of

  • (a) carriage by water under contracts of carriage entered into after that Part comes into force; and

  • (b) carriage by water, otherwise than under contracts of carriage, commencing after that Part comes into force.

Consequential Amendments

R.S., c. A-12Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act

Marginal note:1993, c. 36, s. 22

 Section 2.1 of the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act is replaced by the following:

Marginal note:Inconsistency with Part 6 of Marine Liability Act

2.1 In the event of an inconsistency between the provisions of this Act, or any regulation made under this Act, and the provisions of Part 6 of the Marine Liability Act, the provisions of that Part prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

 

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