An Act to establish the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications CommissionCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ActCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission20241
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C-22Short Title
Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act.1974-75-76, c. 49, s. 1
Interpretation
DefinitionsIn this Act,broadcasting has the same meaning as in the Broadcasting Act; (radiodiffusion)Chairman[Repealed, 2001, c. 34, s. 30]Chairperson means the Chairperson of the Commission designated by the Governor in Council under subsection 6(1); (président)Commission means the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission; (Conseil)Executive Committee[Repealed, 1991, c. 11, s. 75]member means a member of the Commission; (conseiller)Minister means such member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada as is designated by the Governor in Council as the Minister for the purposes of this Act; (ministre)radiocommunication[Repealed, 1991, c. 11, s. 75]telecommunication[Repealed, 1993, c. 38, s. 83]telecommunications undertaking means an undertaking in the field of telecommunication that is carried on in whole or in part within Canada or on a ship or aircraft registered in Canada; (entreprise de télécommunications)Vice-Chairman[Repealed, 2001, c. 34, s. 30]Vice-Chairperson means any Vice-Chairperson of the Commission designated by the Governor in Council under subsection 6(1). (vice-président)R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 2; 1991, c. 11, s. 75; 1993, c. 38, s. 83; 1995, c. 11, s. 43; 2001, c. 34, s. 30(E); 2010, c. 12, s. 1700
Establishment and Constitution of Commission
Commission establishedThere is established a commission, to be known as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, consisting of not more than 13 members, to be appointed by the Governor in Council.TenureA member shall be appointed to hold office during good behaviour for a term not exceeding five years but may be removed at any time by the Governor in Council for cause.Re-appointmentSubject to section 5, a member is eligible for re-appointment.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 3; 1991, c. 11, s. 76; 2010, c. 12, s. 1701
Duties of membersA member shall devote the whole of his or her time to the performance of his or her duties under this Act.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 4; 2010, c. 12, s. 1702
DisqualificationsA person is not eligible to be appointed or to continue as a member of the Commission if the person is not a Canadian citizen ordinarily resident in Canada or if, directly or indirectly, as owner, shareholder, director, officer, partner or otherwise, the personis engaged in a telecommunications undertaking; orhas any pecuniary or proprietary interest ina telecommunications undertaking, orthe manufacture or distribution of telecommunication apparatus, except where the distribution is incidental to the general merchandising of goods by wholesale or retail.Disposal of interestA member in whom any interest prohibited by subsection (1) vests by will or succession for the member’s own benefit shall, within three months thereafter, absolutely dispose of that interest.1974-75-76, c. 49, s. 5
Chairperson and Vice-chairpersons
Chairperson and Vice-ChairpersonsThe Governor in Council shall designate one of the members to be Chairperson of the Commission and two of the members to be Vice-Chairpersons of the Commission.Chairperson chief executive officerThe Chairperson is the chief executive officer of the Commission, has supervision over and direction of the work and staff of the Commission and shall preside at meetings of the Commission.Chairperson’s absence, incapacity or office vacantIn the event of the absence or incapacity of the Chairperson or if the office of Chairperson is vacant, the Commission may authorize one of the Vice-Chairpersons to exercise the powers and to perform the duties and functions of the Chairperson.Acting ChairpersonThe Commission may authorize one or more of its members to act as Chairperson if the Chairperson and both Vice-Chairpersons are absent or unable to act or if the office of Chairperson and each office of Vice-Chairperson are vacant.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 6; 2001, c. 34, s. 31(E); 2010, c. 12, s. 1703
Remuneration
Salaries and feesEach member shall be paid a salary to be fixed by the Governor in Council.ExpensesEach member is entitled to be paid such travel and living expenses incurred in the performance of his duties as are fixed by by-law of the Commission.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 7; 2001, c. 34, s. 31(E); 2010, c. 12, s. 1704
Staff
AppointmentThe officers and employees necessary for the proper conduct of the Commission’s business shall be appointed in accordance with the Public Service Employment Act.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 8; 1993, c. 38, s. 84
Superannuation
Members’ superannuationThe members of the Commission are deemed to be persons employed in the public service for the purposes of the Public Service Superannuation Act.CompensationFor the purposes of any regulations made under section 9 of the Aeronautics Act, the members of the Commission are deemed to be persons employed in the federal public administration.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 9; 2003, c. 22, ss. 224(E), 225(E); 2010, c. 12, s. 1705
Offices, Meetings and Residence
Head officeThe head office of the Commission shall be in the National Capital Region described in the schedule to the National Capital Act or at such other place within Canada as may be designated by the Governor in Council.Regional officesThe Governor in Council may direct the Commission to establish an office of the Commission in any region of Canada and the Commission shall comply with any such direction.MeetingsThe Commission shall meet at least six times in each year.QuorumA majority of the members in office constitute a quorum of the Commission.Telephone conferencesA member may, subject to the by-laws of the Commission, participate in a meeting of the Commission or a committee of the Commission by means of such telephone or other communication facilities as permit all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other, and a member who participates in such a meeting by those means is deemed for the purposes of this Act to be present at the meeting.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 10; 1991, c. 11, s. 78; 2010, c. 12, s. 1706
Residence of membersSubject to subsection (2), the members of the Commission shall reside in the National Capital Region as described in the schedule to the National Capital Act or within any distance of it that may be determined by the Governor in Council.Residence of members — regional officeIf a regional office of the Commission is established under subsection 10(1.1), a member of the Commission who is designated for that region by the Governor in Council shall reside in that region and within any distance of that regional office that may be determined by the Governor in Council.1991, c. 11, s. 79; 2010, c. 12, s. 1707
By-laws
By-laws of CommissionThe Commission may make by-lawsrespecting the calling of meetings of the Commission;respecting the conduct of business at meetings of the Commission, the establishment of special and standing committees of the Commission, the delegation of duties to those committees and the fixing of quorums for meetings thereof; andfixing the travel and living expenses to be paid to members.By-law subject to Minister’s approvalNo by-law made under paragraph (1)(c) has any effect unless it has been approved by the Minister.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 11; 2001, c. 34, s. 31(E); 2010, c. 12, s. 1708
Objects, Powers, Duties and Functions
In relation to broadcastingThe objects and powers of the Commission in relation to broadcasting are as set out in the Broadcasting Act.Digital newsThe Commission exercises the powers and performs the duties and functions conferred on it under the Online News Act.TelecommunicationsThe full-time members of the Commission and the Chairperson shall exercise the powers and perform the duties vested in the Commission and the Chairperson, respectively, by the Telecommunications Act or any special Act, as defined in subsection 2(1) of that Act, or by An Act to promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy by regulating certain activities that discourage reliance on electronic means of carrying out commercial activities, and to amend the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, the Competition Act, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Telecommunications Act.By-lawsThe members of the Commission may make by-lawsrespecting the establishment of special and standing committees of the members, the delegation of the powers, duties and functions of the members to those committees and the fixing of quorums for meetings of those committees; andproviding that any act or thing done by those committees in the exercise of the powers or the performance of the duties and functions delegated to it are deemed to be an act or thing done by the members.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 12; 1991, c. 11, s. 80; 1993, c. 38, s. 85; 2001, c. 34, s. 31(E); 2010, c. 12, s. 1709, c. 23, s. 692023, c. 23, s. 89
Annual reportThe Commission shall, within three months after the end of each fiscal year, submit to the Minister a report, in such form as the Minister may direct, on the activities of the Commission for that fiscal year, and the Minister shall cause a copy of the report to be laid before each House of Parliament on any of the first fifteen days on which that House is sitting after the Minister receives it.Online News ActThe report must include the contents of the annual auditor’s report prepared under section 86 of the Online News Act.Broadcasting ActThe report must include information about the following in respect of the fiscal year, including their number:inquiries conducted under subsection 12(1) of the Broadcasting Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers;inquiries conducted under that subsection in relation to sections 42 to 44 of the Accessible Canada Act;orders made under subsection 12(2) of the Broadcasting Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers;orders made under that subsection in relation to sections 42 to 44 of the Accessible Canada Act;notices of violation issued under section 34.8 of the Broadcasting Act in relation to contraventions of a regulation or order made under Part II of that Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers; andnotices of violation issued under section 34.8 of the Broadcasting Act in relation to contraventions of any of subsections 42(1) to (4) and (7), 43(1) to (3) and 44(1) to (3) and (6) of the Accessible Canada Act.Telecommunications ActThe report must include information about the following in respect of the fiscal year, including their number:inspections conducted under section 71 of the Telecommunications Act in relation to compliance with decisions made under that Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers;inspections conducted under that section in relation to compliance with sections 51 to 53 of the Accessible Canada Act;orders made under section 51 of the Telecommunications Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers;orders made under that section in relation to sections 51 to 53 of the Accessible Canada Act;notices of violation issued under section 72.005 of the Telecommunications Act in relation to contraventions of decisions made under that Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers;notices of violation issued under that section in relation to contraventions of any of subsections 51(1) to (4) and (7), 52(1) to (3) and 53(1) to (3) and (6) of the Accessible Canada Act;inquiries conducted under subsection 48(1) of the Telecommunications Act in relation to the identification, prevention and removal of barriers; andinquiries conducted under subsection 48(1.1) of that Act.Observations and prescribed informationThe report must includeobservations about whether the information referred to in subsections (2) and (3) discloses any systemic or emerging issues related to the identification and removal of barriers, and the prevention of new barriers; andany information respecting the identification, prevention and removal of barriers that is prescribed by regulations made under subsection (5).RegulationsThe Governor in Council may make regulations for the purposes of paragraph (4)(b).Definition of barrierIn this section, barrier has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Accessible Canada Act.R.S., 1985, c. C-22, s. 13; 1991, c. 11, s. 802019, c. 10, s. 1472023, c. 8, s. 372023, c. 23, s. 90
[Repealed, 1991, c. 11, s. 80]
RELATED PROVISIONS — 1991, c. 11, s. 91
Full-time members of CommissionEvery person holding office as Chairman, Vice-Chairman or full-time member of the Commission immediately before the coming into force of section 76 shall continue in office and be deemed to have been appointed under section 3 of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, as amended by this Act, to hold office for the remainder of the term for which the person had been appointed before the coming into force of section 76.Part-time members of CommissionThe part-time members of the Commission holding office immediately before the coming into force of section 76 shall cease to hold office on the coming into force of that section.
2023, c. 232023-12-192023, c. 232023-06-222023, c. 82023-04-272019, c. 102019-07-11