Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-13)

Short Title

Marginal note:Short title

1 This Act may be cited as the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Purpose of Act

Marginal note:Promoting right to healthy and safe working environment by creating Centre

2 The purpose of this Act is to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment by creating a national institute concerned with the study, encouragement and cooperative advancement of occupational health and safety, in whose governing body the interests and concerns of workers, trade unions, employers, federal, provincial and territorial authorities, professional and scientific communities and the general public will be represented.

Interpretation

Marginal note:Definitions

3 In this Act,

Centre

Centre means the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety established by section 4; (Centre)

Chairman

Chairman means the Chairman of the Council; (Version anglaise seulement)

Council

Council means the Council of the Centre; (conseil)

executive board

executive board means the executive board established by subsection 14(1); (Version anglaise seulement)

governor

governor means a member of the Council; (Version anglaise seulement)

Minister

Minister means such member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada as is designated by the Governor in Council as the Minister for the purposes of this Act; (ministre)

President

President means the President of the Centre. (président)

Constitution of the Centre

Marginal note:Establishment and government of Centre

4 There is hereby established a corporation, to be called the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, governed by a Council composed of the following persons, to be appointed by the Governor in Council as provided in sections 7 and 8:

• (a) the Chairman;

• (b) thirteen other governors, one to be nominated by the lieutenant governor in council of each of the ten provinces, one to be nominated by the Commissioner of Yukon, one to be nominated by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and one to be nominated by the Commissioner of Nunavut;

• (c) four other governors to be appointed after consultation with any organizations representative of workers that the Governor in Council considers appropriate; and

• (d) four other governors to be appointed after consultation with any organizations representative of employers that the Governor in Council considers appropriate.

• (e) [Repealed, 2010, c. 12, s. 1684]

Objects, Activities and Powers of the Centre

Marginal note:Objects of Centre

5 The objects of the Centre are

• (a) to promote health and safety in the workplace in Canada and the physical and mental health of working people in Canada;

• (b) to facilitate

  • (i) consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions, and

  • (ii) participation by labour and management

  in the establishment and maintenance of high standards of occupational health and safety appropriate to the Canadian situation;

• (c) to assist in the development and maintenance of policies and programs aimed at the reduction or elimination of occupational hazards; and

• (d) to serve as a national centre for statistics and other information relating to occupational health and safety.

Marginal note:Activities and powers of Centre

• 6 (1) The Centre may, in furtherance of its objects,

  • (a) promote, assist, initiate and evaluate research;

  • (b) establish and operate systems and facilities for collecting, recording, processing, analysing, evaluating and disseminating statistics and other information;

  • (c) publish and otherwise disseminate scientific, technological and other information;

  • (d) provide advice, information and service relating to existing or anticipated occupational health and safety problems to workers, trade unions, employers and government, to national, provincial and international organizations and to the public;

  • (e) support and facilitate the training of personnel in and for the field of occupational health and safety;

  • (f) sponsor and support public meetings, conferences and seminars;

  • (g) expend, for the purposes of this Act, any money appropriated by Parliament for the work of the Centre or received by the Centre through the conduct of its operations;

  • (h) give recognition to public or private organizations or individuals for outstanding contributions in the field of occupational health and safety; and

  • (i) do such other things as are conducive to the carrying out of its objects.

• Marginal note:Centre to consider briefs and other representations

  (2) The Centre shall consider briefs and other written representations submitted to it on matters relating to occupational health and safety and may arrange public forums relating thereto.

• Marginal note:Donations

  (3) The Centre may acquire money, securities or other property by gift, bequest or otherwise and, notwithstanding anything in this Act, may expend, administer or dispose of the money, securities or other property subject to the terms, if any, on which the money, securities or other property is given, bequeathed or otherwise made available to the Centre.

• Marginal note:Ancillary powers

  (4) For the purposes of carrying out its activities under subsections (1) to (3), the Centre has the capacity, rights, powers and privileges of a natural person.

Members of the Council

Marginal note:Chairman

• 7 (1) The Chairman shall be appointed to hold office during good behaviour for a term not exceeding five years, but may be removed by the Governor in Council for cause.

• Marginal note:Duties of Chairman

  (2) The Chairman shall preside at meetings of the Council and may perform such other duties as are assigned to the Chairman by the Council.

• Marginal note:Acting Chairman

  (3) The Council may authorize one of the governors to act as Chairman if the Chairman is absent or incapacitated or the office of Chairman is vacant, but no person so authorized may act as Chairman for a period exceeding ninety days without the approval of the Governor in Council.

• Marginal note:Eligibility of Chairman for re-appointment

  (4) A person who has served two consecutive terms as Chairman is eligible to be re-appointed to the Council but is not, during the twelve months following the completion of the second term as Chairman, eligible to be re-appointed Chairman.

Marginal note:Other governors

• 8 (1) Each of the governors other than the Chairman shall be appointed to hold office during pleasure for such term not exceeding four years as will ensure as far as possible the expiration in any one year of the terms of appointment of fewer than half of the governors so appointed.

• Marginal note:Temporary substitute governor

  (2) In the event of the absence or incapacity of a governor other than the Chairman, the Council may, on such terms and conditions as it may prescribe and after such consultation as is appropriate in the circumstances, appoint a temporary substitute governor, but no temporary substitute governor may serve for a period exceeding ninety days without the approval of the Governor in Council.

• Marginal note:Eligibility of governor for re-appointment

  (3) A person who has served two consecutive terms as a governor appointed under subsection (1) is not, during the twelve months following the completion of the second term, eligible to be re-appointed to the Council, except as Chairman.

Marginal note:Vacancy

9 A vacancy in the membership of the Council does not impair the right of the remaining members to act.

President

Marginal note:Appointment of President

• 10 (1) The President of the Centre shall be appointed by the Governor in Council after consultation with the Council, for a term not exceeding five years.

• Marginal note:Tenure of President

  (2) Every President holds office during good behaviour, but may be removed by the Governor in Council for cause.

• Marginal note:Where appointee is a governor

  (3) Where the person appointed President is a governor, he ceases to be a governor on assuming the office of President.

Marginal note:Duties of President

• 11 (1) The President is the chief executive officer of the Centre, has supervision over and direction of the work and staff of the Centre, is the chairman of the executive board and shall perform such duties as are assigned to the President by the Council.

• Marginal note:President to be full-time

  (2) The President shall devote the whole of his time to the performance of the duties of the President under this Act.

Marginal note:Acting President

12 The Council may authorize an officer of the Centre to act as President if the President is absent or incapacitated or the office of President is vacant, but no person so authorized may act as President for a period exceeding sixty days without the approval of the Governor in Council.

Marginal note:Eligibility of President for re-appointment

13 The President is eligible for re-appointment on the expiration of his term of office.

Executive Board

Marginal note:Executive board established

• 14 (1) There is hereby established an executive board of the Centre consisting of the President and at least six governors annually elected from the Council by the governors so that, at any time,

  • (a) the number of members of the executive board who were appointed to the Council under paragraph 4(c) is equal to the number of members of the executive board who were appointed to the Council under paragraph 4(d); and

  • (b) the aggregate of the number of members of the executive board appointed to the Council under paragraph 4(c) or (d) is not less than 50% of the total number of members of the executive board.

• Marginal note:Duties of executive board

  (2) The executive board shall exercise such of the powers and perform such of the activities of the Centre as the Council may by by-law assign to it and shall submit at each meeting of the Council minutes of its proceedings since the last preceding meeting of the Council and a progress report on the work of the Centre.

• Marginal note:Chairman of executive board

  (3) The President is the chairman of the executive board.

• Marginal note:Quorum

  (4) A majority of the members of the executive board, one of whom is the President, constitutes a quorum.

Marginal note:Meetings

15 The executive board shall meet at least six times in each year.

Committees and Staff

Marginal note:Advisory and other committees

16 The Centre may, in accordance with the by-laws, appoint advisory or other committees.

Marginal note:Officers and employees

17 The Centre may, in accordance with the by-laws, employ or engage such officers, employees and agents as are necessary for the proper conduct of the work of the Centre.

Remuneration and Expenses

Marginal note:President

• 18 (1) The President shall be paid such salary and expenses as are fixed by the Governor in Council.

• Marginal note:Acting President

  (2) An acting President shall be paid such salary and expenses as are fixed by the Governor in Council.

Marginal note:Chairman and other governors

19 The Chairman and the other governors shall not be paid a salary, but may be paid

• (a) such allowance for each day spent in connection with the work of the Centre,

• (b) such allowance for the performance, with the approval of the Council, of any duties over and above their ordinary duties, and

• (c) such travel and living expenses while absent from their ordinary place of residence in connection with the work of the Centre

as are fixed by the Governor in Council.

General

Marginal note:Head office

20 The head office of the Centre shall be at such place in Canada as is designated by the Governor in Council.

Marginal note:Meetings of Council

• 21 (1) The Council shall meet at least three times in each year, with at least one such meeting at the head office of the Centre, and at such other times and places in Canada as the executive board deems necessary.

• Marginal note:Chairman to preside

  (2) The Chairman shall preside at meetings of the Council.

• Marginal note:Council meetings open to President

  (3) The President is entitled to attend and participate in all meetings of the Council.

• Marginal note:Quorum of Council

  (4) A majority of governors constitutes a quorum of the Council.