Foreign Claims (Czechoslovakia) Settlement Regulations

Regulations Respecting the Determination and Payment out of the Foreign Claims Fund of certain Claims Against the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and its Citizens His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for External Affairs and the Minister of Finance, pursuant to Vote Item 22a in Schedule B of Appropriation Act No. 9, 1966, is pleased hereby to make the annexed Regulations respecting the determination and payment out of the Foreign Claims Fund of certain claims against the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and its citizens . These Regulations may be cited as the Foreign Claims (Czechoslovakia) Settlement Regulations. In these Regulations, Agreement means the Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Relating to the Settlement of Financial Matters, signed at Ottawa, April 18, 1973 and confirmed by an Exchange of Letters on June 22, 1973; (Accord) Canadian citizen means a person who is a Canadian citizen within the meaning of the Canadian Citizenship Act, or a corporation that is incorporated under the laws of Canada and that is controlled or substantially owned by persons described in paragraph (a), or is actively carrying on business in Canada; (citoyen canadien) Chief Commissioner means the Chief Commissioner of the Commission and, in the event of his absence or incapacity or if the office of Chief Commissioner is vacant, means the Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Commission; (commissaire en chef) claim means a claim by a Canadian citizen against the Government of Czechoslovakia or Czechoslovak natural or juridical persons in respect of property, rights and interests in Czechoslovakia affected before April 18, 1973 by Czechoslovak measures of nationalization, expropriation, taking under administration or any other similar legislative or administrative measures; (réclamation) Commission means the Foreign Claims Commission established by Order in Council P.C. 1970-2077 of December 8, 1970; (commission) Fund means the special account known as the Foreign Claims Fund established in the Consolidated Revenue Fund by the Minister of Finance pursuant to the Vote; (Caisse) Minister means the Secretary of State for External Affairs; (Ministre) notice of claim means a written communication that, in the opinion of the Commission, contains sufficient information to identify clearly the subject matter of a claim; (avis de réclamation) Vote means Vote 22a of Appropriation Act No. 9, 1966. (crédit) Only claims in respect of which notice of claim has been given to the Government of Canada on or before June 22, 1973 shall be considered by the Commission. Every notice of claim received by the Government of Canada on or before June 22, 1973 shall be referred to the Commission. All documentary evidence on which a claimant intends to rely in establishing his claim shall be submitted to the Commission on or before March 31, 1974. In order to be eligible to receive an award in respect of a claim, a claimant must have been a Canadian citizen from the time the claim arose or the time he obtained title to it until June 22, 1973 and, where a claimant obtained title to a claim after the time it arose, each of his predecessors in title must have been a Canadian citizen during the time he held title to it. Where a claimant who gave notice of claim before June 22, 1973 dies after that day, an award may be made to any person lawfully entitled thereto irrespective of his nationality. In this section, "corporation" means a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada, other than a corporation referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition "Canadian citizen", that, if it were a corporation referred to in that paragraph, would have been eligible for an award in respect of a claim. Where a claimant is a Canadian citizen who is a shareholder in a corporation, an award may be made to him in an amount that bears the same relationship to the total amount that could have been awarded to the corporation as the total number of shares owned by the claimant in the capital stock of the corporation bears to the total number of issued shares of the capital stock of the corporation. Where a claimant has been paid or, in the opinion of the Commission, is likely to be paid any compensation in respect of his claim from any source other than the Fund, the Commission shall deduct the amount of that compensation from the amount of the award it recommends be paid to that claimant out of the Fund. Where a claimant by reason of his own neglect or default has failed to receive, has forfeited his right to receive or has lost his eligibility to receive any compensation in respect of his claim from a source other than the Fund, he shall, for the purposes of these Regulations, be deemed to have been paid that compensation. The failure of a claimant who, in the opinion of the Commission, knew or ought to have known that, if he did not apply on or before a fixed date, he would forfeit his right or lose his eligibility to receive any compensation in respect of his claim from a source other than the Fund shall be deemed, for the purposes of subsection (2), to be neglect by that claimant. The Chief Commissioner shall report to the Minister and to the Minister of Finance on each claim considered by the Commission, stating whether the claimant is eligible to receive an award; and the amount of the award that, in the opinion of the Commission, should be made to the claimant. The Commission shall not recommend in respect of any one person or any one claim an award in excess of $1,000,000. The Chief Commissioner may make a report on any claim on the basis of the information then available to the Commission where, in his opinion, postponement of his report in respect of the claim would result in undue delay. On receipt of a report from the Chief Commissioner, the Minister and the Minister of Finance shall determine the amount of any award recommended by the Commission that is to be paid out of the Fund in respect of a claim; and if the claimant is dead, the person, if any, to whom payment of the award is to be made. In computing the amount to be paid out of the Fund in respect of any claim, the Minister and the Minister of Finance shall deduct the amount of any compensation that has been paid, is likely to be paid or is deemed pursuant to section 6 to have been paid in respect of the claim that the Commission has not already deducted in recommending an award. No right to an award is conferred by any recommendation made by the Chief Commissioner to the Minister and the Minister of Finance. Awards in respect of claims shall be paid out of that part of the Fund consisting of moneys received from the Czechoslovak Government under Article 1 of the Agreement and credited to the Fund pursuant to paragraph (b) of the Vote and any interest credited to the Fund in respect of those moneys. Where the moneys in that part of the Fund described in section 9 are insufficient to pay in full all awards that the Minister and the Minister of Finance determine may be paid out of that part, a payment shall be made in respect of each award equal to either the full amount thereof or one thousand dollars, whichever is the lesser; and the balance of awards not paid in full shall be paid on a pro rata basis from any moneys remaining in that part of the Fund. Awards may be paid in one or more instalments at such times as, in the opinion of the Minister and the Minister of Finance, may be warranted having regard to the amounts available in that part of the Fund described in section 9; and the possible amounts that may be awarded in respect of unpaid claims including those still before the Commission. The Commission shall certify to the Minister of Finance in respect of each claim where an award has been recommended that any documents of title or any other documents on which the recommendation has been based have been transmitted to the Minister for the purpose of Article VI of the Agreement. Before making payment of an award, the Minister of Finance shall obtain a release in such form as he considers satisfactory in respect of the claim for which payment is to be made. The Commission may recommend or the Minister of Finance may require that any claimant assign to Her Majesty in right of Canada his entitlement to compensation from a source other than the Fund, or if such entitlement cannot be validly assigned, sign an undertaking to do all things necessary to vest the amount of such compensation and his rights thereto in Her Majesty. In the event of the absence, incapacity or disqualification of either Commissioner, the remaining Commissioner may perform all the duties and functions of the Commission under these Regulations.