Spending
This bill ensures continued government spending on the Court Challenges Program, which funds legal cases related to language and human rights.
C-316
Court Challenges Program Act
Details
- Full Title
- An Act to amend the Department of Canadian Heritage Act (Court Challenges Program)
- First Reading
- March 6, 2023, Parliament 44, Session 1
- Type
- Private Member’s Bill
- Full Content
- https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-316
Summary
Bill C-316, also known as the Court Challenges Program Act, aims to amend the Department of Canadian Heritage Act. The main purpose of this bill is to ensure the continuation of the Court Challenges Program. This program provides financial assistance for legal cases of national importance that seek to clarify and strengthen constitutional and quasi-constitutional official language rights and human rights as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The bill mandates that the Minister of Canadian Heritage maintain the Court Challenges Program. The program will be administered by an organization that is independent from the Government of Canada. This independent organization will be responsible for providing funding for test cases that are brought before the courts.
Furthermore, the bill requires the independent organization to submit an annual report to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. This report will detail the organization's activities, demonstrate the impact of its work, provide a transparent view of its direction, goals, and financial performance, and offer an overview of the cases that received funding in the previous year. The report must also include a statement of the number of applications that were denied funding for each of the program's two components, as well as any outreach and promotional activities that were conducted with groups affected by these cases. The Minister is then required to table the annual report in Parliament.