Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Foreign Affairs
Issue 6 - Fifth, Revised Fifth and Sixth Reports of the Committee
THURSDAY, December 9, 1999
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has the honour to present its
FIFTH REPORT
Your Committee, to which was referred Bill C-4, An Act to implement the Agreement among the Government of Canada, Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the United States of America concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station and to make related amendments to other Acts, has examined the said Bill in obedience to its Order of Reference dated, Wednesday, December 1st, 1999, and now reports the same without amendment.
Respectfully submitted,
Tuesday, December 14, 1999
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has the honour to present its
REVISED FIFTH REPORT
Your Committee, to which was referred the Bill C-4, An Act to implement the Agreement among the Government of Canada, Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the United States of America concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station and to make related amendments to other Acts, has examined the said Bill in obedience to its Order of Reference dated December 1st, 1999, and now reports the same without amendment, but with the following observations:
The Committee has two specific concerns that it wishes to see addressed. First, the Committee is keenly interested in perusing (a) the regulations deemed by the Governor in Council to be required to carry out the purposes of the Act and to give effect to the above-mentioned Agreement, and (b) the Code of Conduct that will establish the chain of command affecting the astronauts on the space station. The Committee, concerned about the insufficient scope of the provision for notification to Parliament contained in Clause 10 of Bill C-4, requests that the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Space Agency, refer both the said regulations and the Code of Conduct directly to the Committee immediately following their initial publication in the Canada Gazette.
Second, Clause 11(2.34) fails to contain a definition of the term "Canadian flight element" employed in the English version of Clause 11(2.31)(b). The Committee is of the view that there is a need for new wording within the English version of Clause 11(2.31)(b) that would remove the existing ambiguity between the terms "flight element provided by Canada" and "Canadian flight element" and, moreover, ensure a consistency between the English and French versions of the Bill. The Government of Canada, in the omnibus bill that is anticipated shortly, should clarify Clause 11(2.31) so as to alleviate the Committee's concerns.
Respectfully submitted,
Thursday, December 9, 1999
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has the honour to present its
SIXTH REPORT
Your Committee, to which was referred Bill S-3, An Act to implement an agreement, conventions and protocols between Canada and Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Algeria, Bulgaria, Portugal, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Japan and Luxembourg for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, has examined the said Bill in obedience to its Order of Reference dated, Wednesday, November 24, 1999, and now reports the same without amendment.
Respectfully submitted,
PETER A. STOLLERY
Chairman