Excise Act, 2001

Marginal note:Proof of service by mail

• 301 (1) If, under this Act, provision is made for sending by mail a request for information, a notice or a demand, an affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, is evidence of the sending and of the request, notice or demand if the affidavit sets out that

  • (a) the officer has knowledge of the facts in the particular case;

  • (b) such a request, notice or demand was sent by registered or certified mail on a specified day to a specified person and address; and

  • (c) the officer identifies as exhibits attached to the affidavit the post office certificate of registration of the letter or a true copy of the relevant portion of the certificate and a true copy of the request, notice or demand.

• Marginal note:Proof of personal service

  (2) If, under this Act, provision is made for personal service of a request for information, a notice or a demand, an affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, is evidence of the personal service and of the request, notice or demand if the affidavit sets out that

  • (a) the officer has knowledge of the facts in the particular case;

  • (b) such a request, notice or demand was served personally on a named day on the person to whom it was directed; and

  • (c) the officer identifies as an exhibit attached to the affidavit a true copy of the request, notice or demand.

• Marginal note:Proof of electronic delivery

  (2.1) If, under this Act, provision is made for sending a notice to a person electronically, an affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, is evidence of the sending and of the notice if the affidavit sets out that

  • (a) the officer has knowledge of the facts in the particular case;

  • (b) the notice was sent electronically to the person on a named day; and

  • (c) the officer identifies as exhibits attached to the affidavit copies of

    • (i) an electronic message confirming that the notice has been sent to the person, and

    • (ii) the notice.

• Marginal note:Proof of failure to comply

  (3) If, under this Act, a person is required to make a return, an application, a statement, an answer or a certificate, an affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, setting out that the officer has charge of the appropriate records and that after a careful examination and search of the records the officer has been unable to find in a given case that the return, application, statement, answer or certificate has been made by that person, is evidence that in that case the person did not make the return, application, statement, answer or certificate.

• Marginal note:Proof of time of compliance

  (4) If, under this Act, a person is required to make a return, an application, a statement, an answer or a certificate, an affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, setting out that the officer has charge of the appropriate records and that after careful examination of the records the officer has found that the return, application, statement, answer or certificate was filed or made on a particular day, is evidence that it was filed or made on that day.

• Marginal note:Proof of documents

  (5) An affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, setting out that the officer has charge of the appropriate records and that a document attached to the affidavit is a document or true copy of a document made by or on behalf of the Minister or a person exercising the powers of the Minister or by or on behalf of a person, is evidence of the nature and contents of the document.

• Marginal note:Proof of no appeal

  (6) An affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, setting out that the officer has charge of the appropriate records and has knowledge of the practice of the Agency and that an examination of the records shows that a notice of assessment was mailed or otherwise sent to a person on a particular day under this Act and that, after careful examination and search of the records, the officer has been unable to find that a notice of objection or of appeal from the assessment was received within the time allowed for an objection or appeal to be filed under this Act, is evidence of the statements contained in the affidavit.

• Marginal note:Presumption

  (7) If evidence is offered under this section by an affidavit from which it appears that the person making the affidavit is an officer of the Agency, it is not necessary to prove the signature of the person or that the person is such an officer, nor is it necessary to prove the signature or official character of the person before whom the affidavit was sworn.

• Marginal note:Proof of documents

  (8) Every document purporting to have been executed under or in the course of the administration or enforcement of this Act over the name in writing of the Minister, the Commissioner of Customs and Revenue, the Commissioner or an officer authorized to exercise the powers or perform the duties of the Minister under this Act is deemed to be a document signed, made and issued by the Minister, the Commissioner of Customs and Revenue, the Commissioner or the officer, unless it has been called into question by the Minister or a person acting for the Minister or for Her Majesty.

• Marginal note:Proof of documents: Canada Border Services Agency

  (8.1) Every document purporting to have been executed under or in the course of the administration or enforcement of this Act over the name in writing of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the President of the Canada Border Services Agency or an officer authorized to exercise the powers or perform the duties of that Minister under this Act is deemed to be a document signed, made and issued by that Minister, the President or the officer, unless it has been called into question by that Minister or a person acting for that Minister or for Her Majesty.

• Marginal note:Mailing or sending date

  (9) If a notice or demand that the Minister is required or authorized under this Act to send to a person is mailed, or sent electronically, to the person, the day of mailing or sending, as the case may be, is deemed to be the date of the notice or demand.

• Marginal note:Date electronic notice sent

  (9.1) For the purposes of this Act, if a notice or other communication in respect of a person, other than a notice or other communication that refers to the business number of a person, is made available in electronic format such that it can be read or perceived by a person or a computer system or other similar device, the notice or other communication is presumed to be sent to the person and received by the person on the date that an electronic message is sent, to the electronic address most recently provided before that date by the person to the Minister for the purposes of this subsection, informing the person that a notice or other communication requiring the person’s immediate attention is available in the person’s secure electronic account. A notice or other communication is considered to be made available if it is posted by the Minister in the person’s secure electronic account and the person has authorized that notices or other communications may be made available in this manner and has not before that date revoked that authorization in a manner specified by the Minister.

• Marginal note:Date electronic notice sent — business account

  (9.2) For the purposes of this Act, a notice or other communication in respect of a person that is made available in electronic format such that it can be read or perceived by a person or computer system or other similar device and that refers to the business number of a person is presumed to be sent to the person and received by the person on the date that it is posted by the Minister in the secure electronic account in respect of the business number of the person, unless the person has requested, at least 30 days before that date, in a manner specified by the Minister, that such notices or other communications be sent by mail.

• Marginal note:Date assessment made

  (10) If a notice of assessment has been sent by the Minister as required under this Act, the assessment is deemed to have been made on the day of sending of the notice of assessment.

• Marginal note:Proof of return

  (11) In a prosecution for an offence under this Act, the production of a return, an application, a certificate, a statement or an answer required under this Act, purporting to have been filed or delivered by or on behalf of the person charged with the offence or to have been made or signed by or on behalf of that person, is evidence that the return, application, certificate, statement or answer was filed or delivered by or on behalf of that person or was made or signed by or on behalf of that person.

• Marginal note:Proof of return — printouts

  (12) For the purposes of this Act, a document presented by the Minister purporting to be a printout of the information in respect of a person received under section 166 by the Minister shall be received as evidence and, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, is proof of the return filed by the person under that section.

• Marginal note:Proof of return — production of returns, etc.

  (13) In a proceeding under this Act, the production of a return, an application, a certificate, a statement or an answer required under this Act, purporting to have been filed, delivered, made or signed by or on behalf of a person, is evidence that the return, application, certificate, statement or answer was filed, delivered, made or signed by or on behalf of that person.

• Marginal note:Evidence

  (14) In a prosecution for an offence under this Act, an affidavit of an officer of the Agency, sworn before a commissioner or other person authorized to take affidavits, setting out that the officer has charge of the appropriate records and that an examination of the records shows that an amount required under this Act to be paid to the Receiver General on account of duty, interest or other amount has not been received by the Receiver General, is evidence of the statements contained in the affidavit.

• Marginal note:Probative force of copy

  (15) Any copy of an original record made under section 262 that is purported to be certified by the Minister or an officer to be a copy of the original record is evidence of the nature and content of the original record and has the same probative force as the original record would have if it were proven in the ordinary way.