Excise Act, 2001 (S.C. 2002, c. 22)

Marginal note:Minister’s duty

8. The Minister shall administer and enforce this Act and the Commissioner may exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Minister under this Act.

Marginal note:Officers and employees

• 9. (1) The officers, employees and agents that are necessary to administer and enforce this Act shall be appointed, employed or engaged in the manner authorized by law.

• Marginal note:Delegation of powers

  (2) The Minister may authorize a designated officer or agent or a class of officers or agents to exercise powers or perform duties of the Minister, including any judicial or quasi-judicial power or duty of the Minister, under this Act.

Marginal note:Designation of police forces

• 10. (1) The Minister and the Solicitor General of Canada may designate any police force in Canada for the purposes of the enforcement of any of the provisions of this Act that are specified in the designation, subject to any terms and conditions specified in the designation, for any period specified in the designation.

• Marginal note:Persons to have powers and duties of officers

  (2) All members of a police force designated under subsection (1) have the powers and duties of an officer for the purposes of the enforcement of the provisions of this Act specified in the designation.

• Marginal note:Designation to be published

  (3) A designation under subsection (1) or any variation or cancellation of that designation must be published in the Canada Gazette and is not effective before it is so published.

Marginal note:Designation of analysts

11. The Minister may designate any person or class of persons as an analyst for the purposes of this Act.

Marginal note:Administration of oaths

12. Any officer, if designated by the Minister for the purpose, may administer oaths and take and receive affidavits, declarations and affirmations for the purposes of or incidental to the administration or enforcement of this Act, and every officer so designated has for those purposes all the powers of a commissioner for administering oaths or taking affidavits.

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.