Four Bills Receive Royal Assent; Notices

Summary#

This issue of Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 158, Number 47 (published November 23, 2024) lists a few short parliament-related notices and a record of recent royal assent. It mostly records routine parliamentary housekeeping and the formal assent to four bills on November 7, 2024.

What it does#

• Notes that Standing Order 130 (about notices for intended private bills) was previously published on November 20, 2021, and gives contact details for the Private Members’ Business Office.
• Records that the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer published a “Determination of number of electors” notice as Extra Vol. 158, No. 9 on November 15, 2024. The Gazette item does not include the elector number itself.
• Records that royal assent was given on November 7, 2024 to four bills, which are now listed as acts:
  • An Act to amend the Copyright Act (diagnosis, maintenance and repair) (Bill C-244, chapter 26, 2024)
  • An Act to amend the Copyright Act (interoperability) (Bill C-294, chapter 27, 2024)
  • An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care (Bill C-284, chapter 28, 2024)
  • An Act respecting the recognition of the Haida Nation and the Council of the Haida Nation (Bill S-16, chapter 29, 2024)
• Identifies parliamentary clerks by name: Charles Robert (Clerk of the House of Commons) and Shaila Anwar (Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments).

Who's affected#

• People and businesses involved in device and equipment repair, and companies that build interoperable software or devices, may be affected by the two Copyright Act amendments.
• People needing eye care services, and organizations that deliver health services, could be affected by the national strategy for eye care.
• Members of the Haida Nation and organizations working with Indigenous governments may be affected by the recognition act.
• Voters and election administrators are the intended audience for the Determination of number of electors notice, though the Gazette entry here doesn’t give the number.
• Many entries are administrative; where the Gazette only records that something was published or assented to, it does not spell out immediate day-to-day changes.

Why it matters#

• Royal assent is the final formal step that records that these bills have become acts; that means the changes they contain can start to take effect according to their own timelines. The Gazette tells you which bills reached that stage on November 7, 2024.
• The two copyright-related acts could change what repair shops, device makers, and software developers are allowed to do when fixing devices or making systems work together.
• A national eye-care strategy could lead to new programs or funding that affect access to vision care.
• Recognition of the Haida Nation is a legal and symbolic step that affects governance and relationships between that nation and the federal government.
• The electoral notice signals administrative work on the voter roll, which matters for how representation and elections are organized, but the Gazette item does not give further detail.