Minister for Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act

Summary#

This is an order (registered as SI/2020-67) that assigns which cabinet minister is officially responsible for the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. The order (made as P.C. 2020-642 on September 4, 2020) repeals a previous designation and names the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada as the minister; it was published in the Canada Gazette on October 14, 2020.

What it does#

• Repeals the earlier designation made by Order in Council P.C. 2019-1362 (also shown as SI/2019-124 and dated November 20, 2019).
• Designates the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada as the minister responsible for the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.
• Records that this change was approved by the Governor General in Council on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

Who's affected#

• Mainly federal officials and departments that deal with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, because the formal ministerial responsibility has shifted.
• Members of Parliament, stakeholders, or members of the public who need to know which minister to contact about matters under that Act.
• For most people and businesses, this is an internal administrative change and will not directly affect day-to-day activities.

Why it matters#

• It clarifies which cabinet office is formally in charge of the Act. That matters for who answers questions in Parliament, who signs or approves related administrative actions, and who is the public contact for the Act.
• This is an administrative move, not a change to the Act’s content or to legal rights and obligations.