Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19) (S.C. 2020, c. 11, s. 11)
Full Document:
- HTMLFull Document: Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19) (Accessibility Buttons available) |
- XMLFull Document: Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19) [39 KB] |
- PDFFull Document: Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19) [220 KB]
Act current to 2024-11-26
Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19)
S.C. 2020, c. 11, s. 11
Assented to 2020-07-27
An Act respecting the suspension or extension of time limits and the extension of other periods as part of the response to the coronavirus disease 2019
Short Title
Marginal note:Short title
1 This Act may be cited as the Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19).
Interpretation and Application
Marginal note:Definition of period
2 In this Act, period includes the time during which a licence, permit or other authorization is valid.
Marginal note:Effect of suspension or extension
3 If a time limit is suspended or extended or a period is extended under this Act, then, during the period that the suspension or extension is in effect, every reference in any Act of Parliament or its regulations to that time limit or period is to be read as a reference to the time limit or period as it is suspended or extended.
Marginal note:Non-application — offences
4 (1) This Act does not apply in respect of the investigation of an offence or in respect of a proceeding respecting an offence.
Marginal note:Non-application — Corrections and Conditional Release Act
(2) This Act does not apply in respect of a time limit or other period that is established by or under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.
Purpose
Marginal note:Purpose
5 (1) The purpose of this Act is
(a) to temporarily suspend certain time limits and to temporarily authorize, in a flexible manner, the suspension or extension of other time limits in order to prevent any exceptional circumstances that may be produced by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from making it difficult or impossible to meet those time limits; and
(b) to temporarily authorize, in a flexible manner, the extension of other periods in order to prevent any unfair or undesirable effects that may result from the expiry of those periods due to those exceptional circumstances.
Marginal note:For greater certainty
(2) For greater certainty, this Act is to be interpreted in a manner that provides certainty in relation to proceedings and that respects the rule of law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Time Limits Related to Proceedings
Marginal note:Suspensions
6 (1) The following time limits are, if established by or under an Act of Parliament, suspended for the period that starts on March 13, 2020 and that ends on September 13, 2020 or on any earlier day fixed by order of the Governor in Council made on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice:
(a) any limitation or prescription period for commencing a proceeding before a court;
(b) any time limit in relation to something that is to be done in a proceeding before a court; and
(c) any time limit within which an application for leave to commence a proceeding or to do something in relation to a proceeding is to be made to a court.
Marginal note:Court orders — variation
(2) The court may, by order, vary the suspension of a time limit as long as the commencement date of the suspension remains the same and the duration of the suspension does not exceed six months.
Marginal note:Court orders — effects
(3) The court may make orders respecting the effects of a failure to meet a suspended time limit, including orders that cancel or vary those effects.
Marginal note:Orders in council
(4) The Governor in Council may, by order made on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, lift a suspension in circumstances specified in the order.
Other Time Limits and Periods
Marginal note:Ministerial orders — Acts and regulations
7 (1) The minister who is responsible for an Act of Parliament set out in column 1 of the schedule or a relevant portion of the Act may make an order
(a) suspending or extending a time limit that is established by or under any provision of the Act that is set out in column 2;
(b) extending any other period that is established by or under any provision of the Act that is set out in column 2;
(c) if a regulation is set out in column 2 in respect of the Act,
(i) suspending or extending a time limit that is established by or under that regulation, or
(ii) extending any other period that is established by or under that regulation; or
(d) extending a suspension or extension.
Marginal note:Ministerial orders — regulations
(2) The minister who is responsible for a regulation set out in column 1 of the schedule or a relevant portion of the regulation may make an order
(a) suspending or extending a time limit that is established by or under any provision of the regulation that is set out in column 2;
(b) extending any other period that is established by or under any provision of the regulation that is set out in column 2; or
(c) extending a suspension or extension.
Marginal note:Non-application
(3) An order under subsection (1) or (2) does not apply in respect of a time limit or other period that ends on or after December 31, 2020.
Marginal note:Duration
(4) The total duration of a suspension or extension must not exceed six months. However, a suspension must not have the effect of allowing a time limit to continue after December 31, 2020 and an extended time limit or period must end on or before that day.
Marginal note:Retroactivity
(5) An order under subsection (1) or (2) may, if it so provides, have retroactive effect, but not before March 13, 2020, and it may also include provisions respecting the effects of a failure to meet the time limit or of the expiry of the period before the day on which the order was made, including provisions that cancel or vary those effects.
Marginal note:Additional content
(6) An order under subsection (1) or (2) may provide that
(a) a suspension or extension does not apply in respect of any circumstance specified in the order without the consent of a person, court or body specified in the order;
(b) a suspension or extension applies in respect of any circumstance specified in the order unless a person, court or body specified in the order decides otherwise; or
(c) a person, court or body specified in the order may vary the effects of the order in relation to any circumstance specified in the order.
Marginal note:Regulations
(7) The Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, make regulations restricting, or imposing conditions on, a power to make an order under subsection (1) or (2).
General
Marginal note:Statutory Instruments Act
8 The Statutory Instruments Act does not apply to an order made under subsection 6(1), (2), (3) or (4) or 7(1) or (2).
Marginal note:Sunset provision
9 A power conferred on the Governor in Council or a minister under this Act is not to be exercised after September 30, 2020.
Transparency and Parliamentary Oversight
Marginal note:Publication on website
10 (1) An order made under subsection 6(1) or (4) or 7(1) or (2), together with the reasons for making it, must be published, as soon as feasible after the day on which it is made but no later than five days after the day on which it is made, on a Government of Canada website for a period of at least six months.
Marginal note:Publication in Canada Gazette
(2) An order referred to in subsection (1) must be published in Part I of the Canada Gazette within 14 days after the day on which it is made.
Marginal note:Tabling in Parliament
11 (1) An order made under subsection 6(1) or (4) or 7(1) or (2) must be tabled in each House of Parliament within three days after the day on which it is made, unless a House is not sitting within those three days, in which case the order is to be tabled in that House at the earliest opportunity.
Marginal note:Referral to committee
(2) An order that is tabled in a House of Parliament must be referred to a committee of that House.
SCHEDULE(Subsections 7(1) and (2))
Acts, Regulations and Provisions
Column 1 | Column 2 |
---|---|
Acts | Provisions and Regulations |
| subsections 50.4(2), (6), (8) and (9), section 51, subsection 66.12(5), section 66.15, subsection 66.31(1), section 102 and subsection 170.1(3) of the Act
|
| subsections 17(1) and 42(1) and (2) of the Act |
| subsections 133(1), 135(1), 155(1), 159(1) and 160(1) of the Act |
| subsections 50(1), 52(1) and 247(1), section 251 and subsection 252(1) of the Act |
| subsections 31(2), 35(3), 39(1), 69(2) and 188(1) and (2), section 202.1, paragraphs 205.013(q) and 205.019(1)(p) and subsections 205.04(1), 205.041(3), 205.042(1) and (2), 205.044(3), 205.046(4), 205.059(5), 205.06(2) and (9), 205.063(2), 205.071(1), 205.098(3) and 205.1(2) of the Act |
| subsections 160(1), 162(1), 172(1), 175(1) and 176(1) of the Act |
| paragraph 6(b), subsections 6.1(1), 8(1), 23(1) and (2), 29(1) and (5), 41(1), (3) and (4), 42(1) and (1.2) and 43(1), sections 46, 57, 59.6 and 59.7, subsections 62(1) and (2) and 69(2), sections 71, 72 and 92 and subsection 93(1) of the Act
|
| section 11.001 and subsections 11.02(1) and 11.2(5) of the Act |
| section 7 and subsection 11(1) of the Act |
| subsections 298(1) and (2), 303(7) and 304(5) of the Act |
| section 64 of the Act |
| subsection 39(2) of the Act |
| subsection 37(11), paragraph (m) of the definition investment tax credit in subsection 127(9) and subsections 152(3.1) and (4), 166.1(7) and 166.2(5) of the Act |
| sections 25.2 and 25.3 of the Act
|
| subsections 3(3) and 5(1) of the Act
|
| subsections 10(1) and 32(1) of the Act
|
| subsection 6(1) of the Act |
| sections 6 and 9, subsections 10(4) and (5) and 25(7), section 39, subsection 40(11), section 51 and subsection 57(2) of the Act
|
| sections 6, 6.1 and 8, subsections 9(4) and 18(4) and section 24 of the Act
|
| subsections 41(1) and 41.1(3), paragraph 41.1(4)(d), subsections 42(1) and 43(1) and (2) and sections 55, 55.1, 56, 57, 59, 66, 76.01, 76.02 and 76.03 of the Act |
| subparagraph (a)(i) of the definition eligible wages in subsection 2(1) of the Act |
Regulations | Provisions |
| section 9.1 and subsection 9.5(5) of the Regulations |
| section 30 of the Regulations |
| subsection 16.12(5) of the Regulations |
| paragraphs C.05.006(1)(b) and C.05.008(1)(b) of the Regulations |
| paragraph 111(1)(b) of the Regulations |
| sections 33, 60, 61, 62, 63 and 64 of the Regulations |
| subsection 12.7(3) of the Regulations |
| paragraph 9(b), subsection 10(2), sections 13 and 16 and subsection 21(3) of the Regulations |
AMENDMENTS NOT IN FORCE
— 2024, c. 20, par. 214(1)(i)
Replacement of Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act — Acts
214 (1) Every reference to “Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act” in the following provisions is replaced by a reference to “Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation and Offshore Renewable Energy Management Act”:
(i) the schedule to the Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19).
- Date modified: