Date: 20020809
Docket: T-1034-02
Ottawa, Ontario, August 9, 2002
Before: FRANÇOIS LEMIEUX J.
BETWEEN:
9037-9694 QUÉBEC INC.
Plaintiff
- and -
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA
Defendant
- and -
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF QUEBEC
Intervener
ORDER
For the reasons given, the application to strike is allowed and the application for interim relief dismissed.
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"F. Lemieux"
Judge
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Certified true translation
Suzanne M. Gauthier, C. Tr., LL.L.
Date: 20020809
Docket: T-1034-02
Neutral citation: 2002 FCT 849
BETWEEN:
9037-9694 QUÉBEC INC.
Plaintiff
- and -
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA
Defendant
- and -
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF QUEBEC
Intervener
REASONS FOR ORDER
LEMIEUX J.
(a) Introduction
[1] 9037-9694 Québec Inc., alias Morin Sport (hereinafter "Morin Sport") was the holder of a business firearms permit issued by the Quebec chief firearms officer ("the officer") on July 13, 2001 ("the permit") pursuant to the provisions of theFirearms Act enacted by the Parliament of Canada in 1995 ("the Act").
[2] On November 22, 2001, this permit was revoked by Gisèle Telmosse, a firearms officer designated by the chief firearms officer. The revocation was on the grounds that Morin Sport had infringed several provisions of the Act and its implementing regulations.
[3] In her letter of November 22, 2001, the firearms officer informed Morin Sport that:
[TRANSLATION]
You are required by the Act to return your firearms permit as soon as possible to the address shown in the centre of the letterhead of this notice, by mail, or to return it to a peace officer or a firearms officer. As you no longer hold a valid firearms permit and can no longer have firearms in your possession, you must legally divest yourself of your firearms or hand them over to a peace officer, a firearms officer or the chief firearms officer within 30 days of receipt of this notice, unless you ask for review of this decision.
[4] On December 19, 2001, Morin Sport filed an application for reference to a judge of the Court of Quebec, Criminal Division, as authorized by s. 74 of the Act. The hearing of that application for reference was set down for December 16 and 17, 2002.
[5] Despite the fact that after the revocation of November 22, 2001, Morin Sport no longer held a permit, it continued to sell and purchase firearms with the approval of the chief firearms officer and his representatives, who in fact validated and approved 41 sales and 15 purchases.
[6] Following searches on January 16, 2002, and a subsequent inspection of the Morin Sport premises, various offences were noted; on June 7, 2002, the firearms officer Gisèle Telmosse sent Morin Sport the following letter:
[TRANSLATION]
This is further to the notice of revocation of the business firearms permit . . . and is intended to draw your attention to certain provisions of the Act.
Kindly note that the permit revocation was effective on the date of the revocation, namely November 23, 2001, and consequently you cannot continue to operate this firearms business.
In these circumstances, note that any future breach of the provisions of the Act may be the subject of a consultation with the Attorney General's deputy with a view to legal proceedings.
[7] Despite the revocation of its permit, Morin Sport believed that it could market firearms during the period leading up to a decision by a Court of Quebec judge on its referral, pursuant to the provisions of s. 72(6) of the Act. It filed a motion for a declaratory judgment in the Superior Court of Quebec, asking the Court to rule that [TRANSLATION] "the respondent's decision on November 22, 2001, concerning the applicant's permit is not executory in view of its application for referral, filed by the applicant".
[8] On July 2, 2002, Jean-Pierre Sénécal J. allowed the motion to dismiss by the respondent in this case, Gisèle Telmosse, on the ground that the Federal Court had exclusive jurisdiction over a declaratory judgment concerning a decision by a federal officer, here the chief firearms officer of Quebec.
[9] On July 9, 2002, Morin Sport filed an application for judicial review in the Federal Court seeking a declaratory judgment by the Court that, in view of the applicable provisions of the Act, the decision of November 22, 2001, was not executory, the decision of June 7, 2002, was made unlawfully and the plaintiff was entitled to continue operating its business of selling, maintaining, repairing and adjusting firearms and selling ammunition until the Court hearing the application for reference made a final judgment.
[10] On the same day, that is July 9, 2002, Morin Sport filed a motion for interim relief to allow the applicant to continue operating its business until this Court had ruled on the application for judicial review. Further, the interim relief sought asked the Court to direct the chief firearms officer and his various interveners, including Gisèle Telmosse, to approve transactions carried out by the plaintiff-applicant from the date the order sought was made, and to issue registration certificates for all firearms sold by Morin Sport as it was doing up to June 7 last.
[11] In response, the Attorney General of Canada filed a motion to strike Morin Sport's application for judicial review on the ground that this Court has no jurisdiction since the chief firearms officer is not a "federal board, commission or other tribunal" pursuant to s. 2 of the Federal Court Act.
[12] For his part, the Attorney General of Quebec filed a motion asking leave to intervene. By consent, the Court granted that leave. The Attorney General of Quebec supported the position taken by the Attorney General of Canada.
(b) Points at issue
[13] The Court must decide two motions. The motion to strike made by the Attorney General of Canada is to determine whether the chief firearms officer was acting as a "federal board, commission or other tribunal" and that put forward by Morin Sport requires consideration of the rules governing interim orders.
(c) Legislation
1. Federal Court Act
[14] The term "federal board, commission or other tribunal" contained in s. 2(1) of the Federal Court Act reads:
| "federal board, commission or other tribunal" means any body or any person or persons having, exercising or purporting to exercise jurisdiction or powers conferred by or under an Act of Parliament or by or under an order made pursuant to a prerogative of the Crown, other than any such body constituted or established by or under a law of a province or any such person or persons appointed under or in accordance with a law of a province or under section 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867;
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« office fédéral » Conseil, bureau, commission ou autre organisme, ou personne ou groupe de personnes, ayant, exerçant ou censé exercer une compétence ou des pouvoirs prévus par une loi fédérale ou par une ordonnance prise en vertu d'une prérogative royale, à l'exclusion d'un organisme constitué sous le régime d'une loi provinciale ou d'une personne ou d'un groupe de personnes nommées aux termes d'une loi provinciale ou de l'article 96 de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1867. [je souligne]
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[15] Section 18(1)(a) of the Federal Court Act reads as follows:
| to issue an injunction, writ of certiorari, writ of prohibition, writ of mandamus or writ of quo warranto, or grant declaratory relief, against any federal board, commission or other tribunal; and
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décerner une injonction, un bref de certiorari, de mandamus, de prohibition ou de quo warranto, ou pour rendre un jugement déclaratoire contre tout office fédéral;
[je souligne]
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2. Firearms Act, S.C. 1995, c. 39:
(i) Definitions
[16] In s. 2 the Act defines "chief firearms officer", "provincial minister" and "firearms officer" as follows:
| "chief firearms officer" means
(a) in respect of a province, the individual who is designated in writing as the chief firearms officer for the province by the provincial minister of that province,
(b) in respect of a territory, the individual who is designated in writing as the chief firearms officer for the territory by the federal Minister, or
(c) in respect of any matter for which there is no chief firearms officer under paragraph (a) or (b). . .
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« _ contrôleur des armes à feu _ »
a) Particulier qu'un ministre provincial désigne par écrit pour agir en cette qualité dans la province;
b) particulier que le ministre fédéral désigne par écrit pour agir en cette qualité dans un territoire;
c) particulier que le ministre fédéral désigne par écrit pour agir en cette qualité dans une situation particulière, en l'absence du contrôleur des armes à feu prévu aux alinéas a) ou b).
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"provincial minister" means
(a) in respect of a province, the member of the executive council of the province who is designated by the lieutenant governor in council of the province as the provincial minister,
(b) in respect of a territory, the federal Minister, or
(c) in respect of any matter for which there is no provincial minister under paragraph
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« _ ministre provincial _ »
a) Membre du conseil exécutif d'une province désigné par le lieutenant gouverneur en conseil de la province en cette qualité;
b) le ministre fédéral en ce qui concerne les territoires;
c) le ministre fédéral dans une situation particulière où le ministre provincial ne peut agir.
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"firearms officer" means
(a) in respect of a province, an individual who is designated in writing as a firearms officer for the province by the provincial minister of that province,
(b) in respect of a territory, an individual who is designated in writing as a firearms officer for the territory by the federal Minister, or
(c) in respect of any matter for which there is no firearms officer under paragraph (a) or (b), an individual who is designated in writing as a firearms officer for the matter by the federal Minister;
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« _ préposé aux armes à feu _ »
a) Particulier qu'un ministre provincial désigne par écrit pour agir en cette qualité dans la province;
b) particulier que le ministre fédéral désigne par écrit pour agir en cette qualité dans un territoire;
c) particulier que le ministre fédéral désigne par écrit pour agir en cette qualité dans une situation particulière, en l'absence du préposé aux armes à feu prévu aux alinéas a) ou b).
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(ii) Purpose
[17] Section 4 of the Act states its purpose as follows:
| 4. The purpose of this Act is
(a) to provide, notably by sections 5 to 16 and 54 to 73, for the issuance of
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La présente loi a pour objet _:
a) de prévoir, notamment aux articles 5 à 16 et 54 à 73, la délivrance :
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(i) licences, registration certificates and authorizations under which persons may possess firearms in circumstances that would otherwise constitute an offence under subsection 91(1), 92(1), 93(1) or 95(1) of the Criminal Code,
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(i) de permis, de certificats d'enregistrement et d'autorisations permettant la possession d'armes à feu en des circonstances qui ne donnent pas lieu à une infraction aux paragraphes 91(1), 92(1), 93(1) ou 95(1) du Code criminel,
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(ii) licences and authorizations under which persons may possess prohibited weapons, restricted weapons, prohibited devices and prohibited ammunition in circumstances that would otherwise constitute an offence under subsection 91(2), 92(2) or 93(1) of the Criminal Code, and
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(ii) de permis et d'autorisations permettant la possession d'armes prohibées, d'armes à autorisation restreinte, de dispositifs prohibés et de munitions prohibées en des circonstances qui ne donnent pas lieu à une infraction aux paragraphes 91(2), 92(2) ou 93(1) du Code criminel,
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(iii) licences under which persons may sell, barter or give cross-bows in circumstances that would otherwise constitute an offence under subsection 97(1) of the Criminal Code;
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(iii) de permis autorisant la vente, l'échange ou le don d'arbalètes en des circonstances qui ne donnent pas lieu à une infraction au paragraphe 97(1) du Code criminel;
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b) to authorize,
(i) notably by sections 5 to 12 and 54 to 73, the manufacture of or offer to manufacture, and
(ii) notably by sections 21 to 34 and 54 to 73, the transfer of or offer to transfer, firearms, prohibited weapons, restricted weapons, prohibited devices, ammunition and prohibited ammunition in circumstances that would otherwise constitute an offence under subsection 99(1), 100(1) or 101(1) of the Criminal Code; and
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(b) de permettre, notamment aux articles 5 à 12 et 54 à 73, la fabrication ou la proposition de fabrication, et aux articles 21 à 34 et 54 à 73, la cession ou la proposition de cession, d'armes à feu, d'armes prohibées, d'armes à autorisation restreinte, de dispositifs prohibés, de munitions et de munitions prohibées, en des circonstances qui ne donnent pas lieu à une infraction aux paragraphes 99(1), 100(1) ou 101(1) du Code criminel;
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(c) to authorize, notably by sections 35 to 73, the importation or exportation of firearms, prohibited weapons, restricted weapons, prohibited devices, ammunition, prohibited ammunition and components and parts designed exclusively for use in the manufacture of or assembly into automatic firearms in circumstances that would otherwise constitute an offence under subsection 103(1) or 104(1) of the Criminal Code.
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c) de permettre, notamment aux articles 35 à 73, l'importation et l'exportation d'armes à feu, d'armes prohibées, d'armes à autorisation restreinte, de dispositifs prohibés, de munitions ou de munitions prohibées et d'éléments ou pièces conçus exclusivement pour être utilisés dans la fabrication ou l'assemblage d'armes automatiques, sans enfreindre les paragraphes 103(1) ou 104(1) du Code criminel.
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(iii) Licences, authorizations and registration certificates
[18] Sections 54, 56, 57, 58, 68, 69, 70, 72, 74 and 76 read:
| 54. (1) A licence, registration certificate or authorization may be issued only on application made in the prescribed form containing the prescribed information and accompanied by payment of the prescribed fees.
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54. (1) La délivrance des permis, des autorisations et des certificats d'enregistrement est subordonnée au dépôt d'une demande en la forme et avec les renseignements réglementaires et à l'acquittement des droits réglementaires.
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(2) An application for a licence, registration certificate or authorization must be made to
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(2) La demande est adressée :
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(a) a chief firearms officer, in the case of a licence, an authorization to carry or an authorization to transport; or
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a) au contrôleur des armes à feu, dans le cas des permis et des autorisations de port et de transport;
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(b) the Registrar, in the case of a registration certificate, an authorization to export or an authorization to import.
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b) au directeur, dans le cas des certificats d'enregistrement et des autorisations d'exportation ou d'importation.
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(3) An individual who, on the commencement day, possesses one or more restricted firearms or one or more handguns referred to in subsection 12(6) (pre-February 14, 1995 handguns) must specify, in any application for a licence authorizing the individual to possess restricted firearms or handguns that are so referred to,
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(3) Le particulier qui possède une ou plusieurs armes à feu à autorisation restreinte ou armes de poing visées au paragraphe 12(6) (armes de poing : 14 février 1995) à la date de référence est tenu de préciser dans toute demande de permis correspondante :
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(a) except in the case of a firearm described in paragraph (b), for which purpose described in section 28 the individual wishes to continue to possess restricted firearms or handguns that are so referred to; and
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a) sauf s'il s'agit d'une arme à feu visée à l'alinéa b), pour laquelle des fins, prévues à l'article 28, il désire continuer cette possession;
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(b) for which of those firearms was a registration certificate under the former Act issued because they were relics, were of value as a curiosity or rarity or were valued as a memento, remembrance or souvenir.
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b) pour lesquelles de ces armes à feu a été délivré le certificat d'enregistrement prévu par la loi antérieure parce qu'elles sont des antiquités ou avaient une valeur de curiosité, de rareté, de commémoration ou de simple souvenir.
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56. (1) A chief firearms officer is responsible for issuing licences.
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56. (1) Les permis sont délivrés par le contrôleur des armes à feu.
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(2) Only one licence may be issued to any one individual.
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(2) Il ne peut être délivré qu'un seul permis à un particulier.
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(3) A business other than a carrier requires a separate licence for each place where the business is carried on.
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(3) Un permis est délivré pour chaque établissement où l'entreprise - qui n'est pas un transporteur - exerce ses activités.
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57. A chief firearms officer is responsible for issuing authorizations to carry and authorizations to transport.
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57. Les autorisations de port et de transport sont délivrées par le contrôleur des armes à feu.
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58. (1) A chief firearms officer who issues a licence, an authorization to carry or an authorization to transport may attach any reasonable condition to it that the chief firearms officer considers desirable in the particular circumstances and in the interests of the safety of the holder or any other person.
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58. (1) Le contrôleur des armes à feu peut assortir les permis et les autorisations de port et de transport des conditions qu'il estime souhaitables dans les circonstances et en vue de la sécurité de leur titulaire ou d'autrui.
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(2) Before attaching a condition to a licence that is to be issued to an individual who is less than eighteen years old and who is not eligible to hold a licence under subsection 8(2) (minors hunting as a way of life), a chief firearms officer must consult with a parent or person who has custody of the individual.
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(2) Avant d'y procéder dans le cas d'un particulier âgé de moins de dix-huit ans qui n'est pas admissible au permis prévu au paragraphe 8(2) (chasse de subsistance par les mineurs), il consulte ses père ou mère ou la personne qui en a la garde.
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(3) Before issuing a licence to an individual who is less than eighteen years old and who is not eligible to hold a licence under subsection 8(2) (minors hunting as a way of life), a chief firearms officer shall have a parent or person who has custody of the individual sign the licence, including any conditions attached to it.
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(3) Avant de délivrer un permis au particulier visé au paragraphe (2), le contrôleur des armes à feu veille à ce que le père ou la mère ou la personne qui en a la garde ait connaissance des conditions dont est assorti le permis en exigeant leur signature sur celui-ci.
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68. A chief firearms officer shall refuse to issue a licence if the applicant is not eligible to hold one and may refuse to issue an authorization to carry or authorization to transport for any good and sufficient reason.
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68. Le contrôleur des armes à feu ne délivre pas de permis au demandeur qui ne répond pas aux critères d'admissibilité et peut refuser la délivrance des autorisations de port ou de transport pour toute raison valable.
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69. The Registrar may refuse to issue a registration certificate, authorization to export or authorization to import for any good and sufficient reason including, in the case of an application for a registration certificate, where the applicant is not eligible to hold a registration certificate.
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69. Le directeur peut refuser la délivrance du certificat d'enregistrement et des autorisations d'exportation ou d'importation pour toute raison valable, notamment, dans le cas du certificat d'enregistrement, lorsque le demandeur n'y est pas admissible.
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70. (1) A chief firearms officer who issues a licence, authorization to carry or authorization to transport may revoke it for any good and sufficient reason including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
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70. (1) Le contrôleur des armes à feu peut révoquer un permis ou une autorisation de port ou de transport pour toute raison valable, notamment parce que _:
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(a) where the holder of the licence or authorization
(i) is no longer or never was eligible to hold the licence or authorization,
(ii) contravenes any condition attached to the licence or authorization, or
(iii) has been convicted or discharged under section 730 of the Criminal Code of an offence referred to in paragraph 5(2)(a); or
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a) le titulaire soit ne peut plus ou n'a jamais pu être titulaire du permis ou de l'autorisation, soit enfreint une condition du permis ou de l'autorisation, soit encore a été déclaré coupable ou absous en application de l'article 730 du Code criminel d'une infraction visée à l'alinéa 5(2)a);
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(b) where, in the case of a business, a person who stands in a prescribed relationship to the business has been convicted or discharged under section 730 of the Criminal Code of any such offence.
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b) dans le cas d'une entreprise, une personne liée de manière réglementaire à celle-ci a été déclarée coupable ou absoute en application de l'article 730 du Code criminel d'une telle infraction.
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(2) The Registrar may revoke an authorization to export or authorization to import for any good and sufficient reason.
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(2) Le directeur peut révoquer les autorisations d'exportation ou d'importation pour toute raison valable.
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72. (1) Where a chief firearms officer decides to refuse to issue or to revoke a licence or authorization to transport or the Registrar decides to refuse to issue or to revoke a registration certificate, authorization to export or authorization to import, the chief firearms officer or Registrar shall give notice of the decision in the prescribed form to the applicant for or holder of the licence, registration certificate or authorization.
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72. (1) Le contrôleur des armes à feu, dans le cas d'un permis ou d'une autorisation de transport, ou le directeur, dans le cas d'un certificat d'enregistrement ou d'une autorisation d'exportation ou d'importation, notifie à l'intéressé, en la forme réglementaire, sa décision de refus ou de révocation.
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(2) A notice given under subsection (1) must include reasons for the decision disclosing the nature of the information relied on for the decision and must be accompanied by a copy of sections 74 to 81.
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(2) La notification comporte les motifs de la décision faisant état de la nature des renseignements sur lesquels elle est fondée ainsi que le texte des articles 74 à 81.
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(3) A chief firearms officer or the Registrar need not disclose any information the disclosure of which could, in the opinion of the chief firearms officer or the Registrar, endanger the safety of any person.
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(3) Le contrôleur des armes à feu ou le directeur n'est pas tenu de communiquer des renseignements qui, à son avis, pourraient menacer la sécurité d'une personne.
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(4) A notice given under subsection (1) in respect of a licence must specify a reasonable period during which the applicant for or holder of the licence may deliver to a peace officer or a firearms officer or a chief firearms officer or otherwise lawfully dispose of any firearm, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device or prohibited ammunition that the applicant for or holder of the licence possesses and during which sections 91, 92 and 94 of the Criminal Code do not apply to the applicant or holder.
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(4) La notification accorde un délai raisonnable pendant lequel le demandeur ou le titulaire du permis peut se départir légalement des armes à feu, armes prohibées, dispositifs prohibés ou munitions prohibées en sa possession, notamment en les remettant à un agent de la paix, au préposé aux armes à feu ou au contrôleur des armes à feu, sans qu'une poursuite puisse être intentée contre lui en vertu des articles 91, 92 ou 94 du Code criminel.
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(5) A notice given under subsection (1) in respect of a registration certificate must specify a reasonable period during which the applicant for or holder of the registration certificate may deliver to a peace officer or a firearms officer or a chief firearms officer or otherwise lawfully dispose of the firearm to which the registration certificate relates and during which sections 91, 92 and 94 of the Criminal Code and section 112 of this Act do not apply to the applicant or holder.
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(5) La notification accorde un délai raisonnable pendant lequel le demandeur ou le titulaire d'un certificat d'enregistrement d'une arme à feu peut se départir légalement de celle-ci, notamment en la remettant à un agent de la paix, au préposé aux armes à feu ou au contrôleur des armes à feu, sans qu'une poursuite ne puisse être intentée contre lui en vertu des articles 91, 92 ou 94 du Code criminel ou de l'article 112 de la présente loi.
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(6) If the applicant for or holder of the licence or registration certificate refers the refusal to issue it or revocation of it to a provincial court judge under section 74, the reasonable period of time does not begin until after the reference is finally disposed of.
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(6) Lorsque le demandeur ou le titulaire du permis ou du certificat d'enregistrement soumet la non-délivrance ou la révocation du document en cause à un juge de la cour provinciale en vertu de l'article 74, le délai ne commence à courir qu'après la décision finale du juge.
[je souligne]
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74. (1) Subject to subsection (2), where
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74. (1) Le demandeur ou le titulaire d'un permis, d'un certificat d'enregistrement, d'une autorisation de transport, d'exportation ou d'importation ou d'un agrément peut soumettre à un juge de la cour provinciale de la circonscription territoriale de sa résidence les cas suivants _:
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(a) a chief firearms officer or the Registrar refuses to issue or revokes a licence, registration certificate, authorization to transport, authorization to export or authorization to import,
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a) la non-délivrance ou révocation, par le contrôleur des armes à feu ou le directeur, du document en cause;
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(b) a chief firearms officer decides under section 67 that a firearm possessed by an individual who holds a licence is not being used for
(i) the purpose for which the individual acquired the firearm, or
(ii) in the case of a firearm possessed by an individual on the commencement day, the purpose specified by the individual in the licence application, or
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b) la décision du contrôleur des armes à feu, prise aux termes de l'article 67, selon laquelle l'arme à feu d'un particulier n'est pas utilisée conformément aux fins de l'acquisition ou, en cas de possession d'une telle arme à feu à la date de référence, aux fins précisées par le particulier dans la demande de permis;
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(c) a provincial minister refuses to approve or revokes the approval of a shooting club or shooting range for the purposes of this Act,
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c) le refus ou la révocation de l'agrément d'un club de tir ou de champs de tir par le ministre provincial.
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the applicant for or holder of the licence, registration certificate, authorization or approval may refer the matter to a provincial court judge in the territorial division in which the applicant or holder resides.
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(2) An applicant or holder may only refer a matter to a provincial court judge under subsection (1) within thirty days after receiving notice of the decision of the chief firearms officer, Registrar or provincial minister under section 29, 67 or 72 or within such further time as is allowed by a provincial court judge, whether before or after the expiration of those thirty days.
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(2) La saisine est à effectuer par le requérant dans les trente jours suivant la réception de la notification de la décision faite par le contrôleur des armes à feu, le directeur ou le ministre provincial en vertu des articles 29, 67 ou 72 ou dans le délai supplémentaire que le juge peut lui accorder avant ou après l'expiration des trente jours.
[je souligne]
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76. On the hearing of a reference, the provincial court judge may, by order,
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76. Au terme de l'audition du cas, le juge peut, par ordonnance :
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(a) confirm the decision of the chief firearms officer, Registrar or provincial minister;
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a) confirmer la décision du contrôleur des armes à feu, du directeur ou du ministre provincial;
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(b) direct the chief firearms officer or Registrar to issue a licence, registration certificate or authorization or direct the provincial minister to approve a shooting club or shooting range; or
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b) enjoindre au contrôleur des armes à feu ou au directeur de délivrer le permis, le certificat d'enregistrement ou l'autorisation ou enjoindre au ministre provincial de conférer l'agrément au club de tir ou au champ de tir;
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(c) cancel the revocation of the licence, registration certificate, authorization or approval or the decision of the chief firearms officer under section 67.
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c) annuler la révocation du permis, du certificat d'enregistrement, de l'autorisation, de l'agrément ou la décision du contrôleur des armes à feu prise aux termes de l'article 67.
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76.1 With respect to Nunavut, the following definitions apply for the purposes of sections 77 to 81.
"provincial court judge" means a judge of the Nunavut Court of Justice.
"superior court" means a judge of the Court of Appeal of Nunavut.
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76.1 S'agissant du Nunavut, les définitions qui suivent s'appliquent aux articles 77 à 81.
« _ cour supérieure _ » Un juge de la Cour d'appel du Nunavut.
« _juge _ » Juge de la Cour de justice du Nunavut.
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[19] Section 98 reads as follows:
| 98. A chief firearms officer of a province who is authorized in writing by a provincial minister may perform the function of the provincial minister of designating firearms officers for the province.
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98. Le contrôleur des armes à feu d'une province peut, s'il en est chargé par le ministre provincial, désigner les préposés aux armes à feu pour la province.
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(d) Analysis
[20] For background, I refer to the Supreme Court of Canada's judgment on the Reference re Firearms Act (Can.), [2000] 1 S.C.R. 783. It reaches the following conclusion:
We conclude that the gun control law comes within Parliament's jurisdiction over criminal law. The law in "pith and substance" is directed to enhancing public safety by controlling access to firearms through prohibitions and penalties. This brings it under the federal criminal law power. While the law has regulatory aspects, they are secondary to its primary criminal law purpose. The intrusion of the law into the provincial jurisdiction over property and civil rights is not so excessive as to upset the balance of federalism.
[21] Designation of the firearms officer and appointment of the chief firearms officer for Quebec are another aspect of the background, set out in detail in the affidavit of Luc Crépeault, Deputy Minister in the Ministère de la Sécurité publique of the Government of Quebec, filed in support of the motion to strike. I set out the essentials of his affidavit:
[TRANSLATION]
1. On November 24, 1999, . . . Gisèle Telmosse was designated to perform the functions of "firearms officer" . . . having inter alia the power to issue, refuse or revoke business firearms licences;
2. [she] was designated as such pursuant to s. 98 of the Act by chief inspector Guy Asselin of the Sûreté du Québec, acting for this purpose in his capacity as "chief firearms officer" . . .
3. Mr. Asselin was himself appointed to act as "chief firearms officer" pursuant to para. (a) of the definition of the term "chief firearms officer" contained in s. 2 of the Act;
4. Mr. Asselin was appointed to act as such on November 30, 1998, by the then Minister of Public Security, Pierre Bélanger, acting for this purpose in his capacity of "provincial Minister" within the meaning of the Act;
5. on that date Mr. Asselin was also authorized by Hon. Bélanger to appoint firearms officers for the province within the meaning of s. 98 of the Act;
6. the Minister of Public Security was designated "provincial Minister" pursuant to para. (a) of the definition of the term "provincial Minister" contained in s. 2 of the Act, by virtue of Order in Council 1426-98 of November 27, 1998, adopted by the Lieutenant Governor in Council;
7. the function of Minister of Public Security was created pursuant to s. 4(31) of the Executive Power Act (R.S.Q. c. E-18);
8. the present Minister of Public Security, Normand Jutras, and his predecessors . . . have as such been appointed members of the Executive Council of the province of Quebec by the Lieutenant Governor;
9. Gisèle Telmosse is part of the staff of the Sûreté du Québec and was appointed pursuant to the Public Service Act (R.S.Q. c. F-3);
10. the Sûreté du Québec is a police force created pursuant to s. 38 of the Police Act (R.S.Q. c. P-13.1);
11. pursuant to s. 50 of the Police Act, the Sûreté du Québec acts under the authority of the Minister of Public Security . . .
[22] One final aspect of the background is to be found in the affidavit of Capt. Yves Massé of the Sûreté du Québec, who is responsible for implementing the Act. He deposed as follows:
[TRANSLATION]
30. I am now convinced that this business was able to continue buying and selling weapons after revocation of its licence as the result of a mistake.
31. To my knowledge, this is the first case in Quebec, and probably in Canada, where the question has arisen of a referral to a judge of the Court of Quebec regarding a licence revocation made under the Act . . .
32. There was accordingly what I now regard as a misunderstanding of the Act, which resulted in the business being able to continue selling weapons and obtaining transfers.
33. On or about June 5, 2002, a conversation which took place with the former chief firearms officer indicated to those concerned that the Act should be interpreted otherwise and that it did not allow activities to continue during the appeal, hence the sending of the letter of June 7, 2002, following consultation.
I. Motion to strike
[23] I feel that the motion to strike filed by the Attorney General of Canada, supported by the Attorney General of Québec, is valid. In my opinion, the persons responsible for implementing the Act with respect to the issuing and revoking of firearms licences cannot be regarded as a "federal board, commission or other tribunal" and accordingly covered by an application for judicial review under s. 18 of the Federal Court Act.
[24] I set out again the wording of "federal board, commission or other tribunal" in s. 2 of the Federal Court Act:
| "federal board, commission or other tribunal" means any body or any person or persons having, exercising or purporting to exercise jurisdiction or powers conferred by or under an Act of Parliament or by or under an order made pursuant to a prerogative of the Crown, other than any such body constituted or established by or under a law of a province or any such person or persons appointed under or in accordance with a law of a province or under section 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867;
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« office fédéral » Conseil, bureau, commission ou autre organisme, ou personne ou groupe de personnes, ayant, exerçant ou censé exercer une compétence ou des pouvoirs prévus par une loi fédérale ou par une ordonnance prise en vertu d'une prérogative royale, à l'exclusion d'un organisme constitué sous le régime d'une loi provinciale ou d'une personne ou d'un groupe de personnes nommées aux termes d'une loi provinciale ou de l'article 96 de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1867.
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[25] Parliament has in very clear terms created an exclusion in its definition of "federal board, commission or other tribunal", even though the agency or the person exercises jurisdiction or powers conferred by or under an Act of Parliament. Any body constituted or established by or under a law of a province, or any persons appointed under or accordance with the law of a province, is excluded.
[26] The purpose of this exclusion is readily understandable in the context of Canadian federalism, where for reasons of efficiency, coordination or cooperation a government order often delegates the administration of legislation to another level of government, as is the case here.
[27] In such a context, Parliament considers that judicial review of the decisions of provincial administrators should be through the courts of the province, not the Federal Court.
[28] Parliament has expressed its intention very clearly by the establishment of a system for appeals from a decision of a firearms officer in the event a licence is revoked: referral to the Court of Quebec and the possibility of an appeal to the Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal.
[29] In the case at bar, Morin Sport is seeking judicial review by the Federal Court by means of a declaratory judgment, relating to the two decisions of the firearms officer: (1) that of November 22, 2001, which Morin Sport considers is not executory; and (2) that of June 7, 2002, which Morin Sport alleges was made illegally.
[30] In the case at bar, Gisèle Telmosse is part of the staff of the Sûreté du Québec and was appointed pursuant to the Quebec Public Service Act. She is an employee of Quebec and appointed as such by Quebec legislation. The exclusion made by Parliament in its definition of "federal board, commission or other tribunal" applies. This Court is not competent to rule on the judicial review filed by Morin Sport.
[31] The cases support this conclusion. In Saugeen Indian Band v. Canada (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans), [1992] 3 F.C. 577, MacKay J. was of this opinion.
[32] In Saugeen, supra, the case concerned provincial administration of the federal Fisheries Act. The Indian band was seeking an injunction or a declaratory judgment against the provincial Minister and the employees, conservation officers and fisheries officers of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. MacKay J. dismissed the action and the applications for an injunction or declaratory judgment against the provincial administrators for lack of jurisdiction (see in particular pp. 594 and 595).
[33] The prothonotary Hargrave reached the same conclusion in Martinoff v. British Columbia (Chief Provincial Firearms Officer), [1994] F.C.J. No. 1728.
[34] In that case the applicant, a firearms dealer, was seeking an order directing the respondent to renew his business firearms licence. The respondent, Henry Mathias, was director of the Security Programs Division of the Security Branch of the Department of the Attorney General of British Columbia, and also chief firearms officer for the province, a function which at that time was in the 1995 Criminal Code. The Criminal Code defined "chief provincial firearms officer" as follows: "person who has been designated in writing by the Attorney General of a province as the chief provincial firearms officer for that province".
[35] The prothonotary concluded that she lacked jurisdiction since the appointment of Mr. Mathias was made by the Attorney General of British Columbia and his employment was governed by the British Columbia Civil Service Act. According to the prothonotary, he is excluded from the definition of "federal board, commission or other tribunal" in s. 2 of the Federal Court Act as being a "person . . . appointed under or in accordance with the law of a province".
[36] In Canadian Pacific Express and Transport Ltd. et al. v. Motor Carrier Commission, [1986] 1 F.C. 59, Joyal J. considered that the British Columbia Motor Carrier Commission was excluded from the definition of "federal board, commission or other tribunal" since that body, which exercises federal powers, was created by a provincial statute.
[37] With respect, the cases of R. v. St. Germaine, [1993] N.W.T.J. No. 41, and Walker v. Gagnon, [1976] 2 F.C. 155, cannot reverse the conclusion that Ms. Telmosse is not a federal board, commission or other tribunal.
[38] In St. Germaine, supra, the respondents Watt and Howie could be regarded as a "federal board, commission or other tribunal" since they were members of the R.C.M.P. and appointed to issue limited firearms possession licences by the R.C.M.P. Commissioner. The exclusion contained in the definition of "federal board, commission or other tribunal" was properly rejected by Vertes J.
[39] In Walker v. Gagnon, supra, Walsh J. did not discuss the question of the exclusion in the definition.
[40] Counsel for Morin Sport drew my attention to the judgment of Boilard J. of the Quebec Superior Court (Criminal Division) in Hôpital Saint-Luc v. L'Honorable J.G. Lamontagne (No. 500-36-000336-902). I do not see how that applies to the case at bar in any way.
[41] For these reasons, I grant the motion to strike filed by the Attorney General of Canada. Striking the application for judicial review at this stage is a proper remedy in accordance with David Bull Laboratories (Canada) Inc. v. Pharmacia Inc. (1994), 192 N.R. 158 (F.C.A.).
II. Application for interim relief
[42] Although I am not required to rule on the application for interim relief sought by Morin Sport, the point was argued before me and in the circumstances I feel it is proper to make a ruling.
[43] In my opinion, the balance of convenience clearly favours the respondent. This test, according to Beetz J. in Manitoba (Attorney General) v. Metropolitan Stores (MTS) Ltd., [1987] 1 S.C.R. 110, involves "a determination of which of the two parties will suffer the greater harm from the granting or refusal of an interlocutory injunction, pending a decision on the merits".
[44] One of the factors to be considered in this balance is the public interest.
[45] In Reference re the Firearms Act, supra, the Supreme Court of Canada emphasized throughout its reasons that the pith and substance of the Act was to promote public safety. The Supreme Court cited the comments of the federal Minister of Justice on second reading of the content of the Act as follows, at 798:
First, tough measures to deal with the criminal misuse of firearms; second, specific penalties to punish those who would smuggle illegal firearms; and third, measures overall to provide a context in which the legitimate use of firearms can be carried on in a manner consistent with public safety.
[46] Morin Sport had its licence revoked on the ground that the business had committed several breaches of the Act. Morin Sport applied for referral to the Court of Quebec but wished to continue operating its business in the meantime, and that was the interim relief it sought. The respondent contended that it could not be in business without a licence and had to cease its operations as soon as the revocation became effective.
[47] I feel that the public interest in the integrity of the firearms supervision system takes priority over Morin Sport's private interest in continuing to operate its business. In this balance, I consider that Morin Sport has not satisfied me by clear and convincing evidence that there is irreparable harm, although it alleged that Gisèle Telmosse's intervention on June 7 [TRANSLATION] "literally threatened the very survival of the business . . . which derives its principal revenue from the sale, repair and adjustment of firearms and sale of ammunition".
(e) Conclusion
[48] For all these reasons, the application to strike is granted and the application for interim relief is dismissed.
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"F. Lemieux"
Judge
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Ottawa, Ontario
August 9, 2002
Certified true translation
Suzanne M. Gauthier, C. Tr., LL.L.
FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA
TRIAL DIVISION
SOLICITORS OF RECORD
FILE: T-1034-02
STYLE OF CAUSE: 9037-9694 QUÉBEC INC.
PLACE OF HEARING: MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC
DATE OF HEARING: JULY 29, 2002
REASONS FOR ORDER BY: LEMIEUX J.
DATE OF REASONS: AUGUST 9, 2002
APPEARANCES:
SYLVAIN FRÉCHETTE FOR THE PLAINTIFF
NADINE PERRON FOR THE DEFENDANT
JEAN-YVES BERNARD FOR THE INTERVENER
SOLICITORS OF RECORD:
FRÉCHETTE ET BOUCHARD FOR THE PLAINTIFF
JOLIETTE, QUEBEC
DEPART. OF JUSTICE FOR THE DEFENDANT
MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF QUEBEC FOR THE INTERVENER
MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC
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