Regulations Amending the Federal Real Property Regulations (Miscellaneous Program): SOR/2020-134

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 154, Number 14

Registration

SOR/2020-134 June 18, 2020

FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY AND FEDERAL IMMOVABLES ACT

P.C. 2020-460 June 17, 2020

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice and of the Treasury Board, pursuant to subsections 15(2) footnote a and 16(2) footnote b of the Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act footnote c, makes the annexed Regulations Amending the Federal Real Property Regulations (Miscellaneous Program).

Regulations Amending the Federal Real Property Regulations (Miscellaneous Program)

Amendments

1 The long title of the Federal Real Property Regulations footnote 1 is replaced by the following:

Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Regulations

2 Section 1 of the Regulations and the heading before it are repealed.

3 Sections 2 and 3 of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

2 The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

Application

3 (1) These Regulations do not apply in respect of

(2) Despite paragraph (1)(b) and the fact that the whole of the purchase price or other consideration is not received by Her Majesty at or before completion of the disposition, these Regulations apply in respect of dispositions to a Crown corporation, within the meaning of subsection 83(1) of the Financial Administration Act, whose instrument or act of incorporation specifically limits its activities or businesses to the purposes and objectives of acquiring, purchasing, leasing, holding, improving, managing, exchanging, selling, turning into account or otherwise dealing in or disposing of personal property or real property or of any interest in that property, or of movables or immovables or of a real right in that property.

(3) Sections 7 to 10 do not apply to leases, surrenders or resiliations of leases or to acceptances of surrenders or resiliations of leases.

4 (1) Subsection 4(1) of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

4 (1) Un ministre peut procéder à une acquisition ou à une disposition ou prendre une option d’acquisition ou de disposition.

(2) The portion of subsection 4(2) of the Regulations before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

(2) A Minister may, in respect of real property or an immovable,

(3) Subsection 4(3) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(3) A Minister may provide utilities and other services on or from federal real property or a federal immovable that is under the Minister’s administration and may impose fees, charges and rates for those services.

5 Section 5 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

5 (1) A Minister may transfer to Her Majesty in right of a province, by instrument or act satisfactory to the Minister of Justice, the administration and control of the entire or any lesser interest, or any right, of Her Majesty in any federal real property or any federal immovable, either in perpetuity or for any lesser term.

(2) A Minister may accept on behalf of Her Majesty a transfer of the administration and control satisfactory to the Minister of Justice of the entire or any lesser interest, or any right, of Her Majesty in right of a province in any real property or immovable, including transfers made by grant, concession, vesting order or other conveyancing instrument or other transfer act, either in perpetuity or for any lesser term.

(3) In the case of retrocession or reversion to Her Majesty in right of a province or Her Majesty in right of Canada of the administration and control of the entire or any lesser interest, or any right, in any real property or immovable, a Minister may give effect to that retrocession or reversion by instrument or act satisfactory to the Minister of Justice, despite the requirement, in the original transfer of administration and control, to proceed by order in council or written notice.

6 (1) Paragraph 6(1)(a) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(2) Paragraph 6(1)(c) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

7 Paragraphs 7(a) and (b) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

8 (1) Subsection 8(2) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(2) A Minister may make a partial payment in respect of an acquisition of real property or an immovable that is within Canada, before the completion of the acquisition, under an arrangement satisfactory to the Minister of Justice that ensures its repayment to Her Majesty if the Minister of Justice is not satisfied as to good title.

(2) The portion of subsection 8(4) of the Regulations before paragraph (b) is replaced by the following:

(4) The Minister of Foreign Affairs may, in respect of the acquisition of real property or an immovable outside Canada, make a payment if the payment

(3) Paragraph 8(4)(c) of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(4) The portion of subsection 8(5) of the Regulations before paragraph (b) is replaced by the following:

(5) Despite subsection (4), the Minister of Foreign Affairs may, in respect of the acquisition of real property or an immovable that is situated in a jurisdiction in which the title to or ownership of real property or an immovable within that jurisdiction cannot be determined or certified by and to the satisfaction of the Minister of Justice, make a payment if the payment

(5) Paragraph 8(5)(b) of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

9 (1) Subsection 9(1) of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

9 (1) Sous réserve du paragraphe (2), un ministre renvoie chaque disposition au ministre de la Justice en vue de l’établissement et de l’approbation de la forme et de la teneur juridique de la concession de l’État.

(2) Paragraphs 9(2)(a) and (b) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

10 (1) The portion of section 10 of the Regulations before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

10 If a Minister, in an option for an acquisition, is granted the right to enter and conduct tests in respect of the real property or immovable that is subject to the option, the Minister may agree with the person granting the option

(2) Paragraph 10(a) of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(3) Paragraphs 10(b) and (c) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

11 (1) The portion of subsection 11(1) of the English version of the Regulations before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

11 (1) The Minister of Justice must establish and operate a document depository at the Department of Justice that contains copies of the following instruments or acts:

(2) Paragraphs 11(1)(a) to (c) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

(3) The portion of subsection 11(2) of the Regulations before paragraph (c) is replaced by the following:

(2) Except in the case of a disposition of real property or an immovable that was the subject of an acquisition described in paragraph 8(3)(b), a copy of the instrument or act must immediately be sent to the document depository by the Minister who

(4) Subsection 11(3) of the English version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(3) Instruments, acts and information may be recorded or stored in the document depository by any means.

Coming into Force

12 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations.)

Issues

The Department of Justice’s initiative to harmonize federal law with the civil law of Quebec, which is based on the Policy on Legislative Bijuralism of 1995, aims to revise federal statutes and regulations, when they refer to the private law of the provinces and territories, so that they are compatible with the concepts and terminology of both civil law and common law. The current amendments to the Federal Real Property Regulations (SOR/92-502) are made within the framework of this initiative. As part of the Federal Law-Civil Law Harmonization Act, No. 1 (S.C. 2001, c. 4), the Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act (S.C. 1991, c. 50) was previously amended for harmonization purposes, which entailed amending its title so as to include both the appropriate common law and civil law terminology.

In order to render the Federal Real Property Regulations (the Regulations) more accessible and understandable, the wording of the Regulations must be amended to include terminology that is consistent with both civil law and common law. The amendments are terminological, technical in nature, non-controversial and do not alter the policy intentions of the Regulations. Rather, they ensure that the policy underlying the provisions in question is implemented in light of both the common law and the civil law, and in both official languages.

Objective

The amendments facilitate access to justice by harmonizing the Regulations with the provincial and territorial private law through the use of a terminology that is consistent with the civil law and common law traditions, in both official languages. The amendments also ensure that the wording and terms used in the Regulations are in keeping with those used in the already harmonized enabling statute, the Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act (the Act).

Description and rationale

Making regulations easier to understand by Canadians, whether they are governed by the civil law or common law tradition, in both French and English, provides better access to justice.

The following amendments are made to the Regulations:

These amendments do not impose any costs on the Government or stakeholders.

One-for-one rule

The one-for-one rule does not apply to these amendments, as there is no change in administrative costs or burden to businesses.

Small business lens

The small business lens does not apply to these amendments, as there are no costs to small businesses.

Contact

Luc Gagné
General Counsel and Director
Bijuralism and Advisory Services Section
Legislative Services Branch
Public Law and Legislative Services Sector
Department of Justice Canada
Telephone: 613‑952‑1119 
Email: lgagne@justice.gc.ca