Third

Session, 47th General Assembly

Elizabeth II, 2014

BILL 3

AN ACT TO AMEND THE

VITAL STATISTICS ACT, 2009

Received and Read the First Time .................................................................................................

Second Reading .................................................................................................................................

Committee ..........................................................................................................................................

Third Reading .....................................................................................................................................

Royal Assent ......................................................................................................................................

HONOURABLE

DAN CRUMMELL

Minister

of Service Newfoundland and Labrador

Ordered

to be printed by the Honourable House of Assembly

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Bill would amend the Vital Statistics Act, 2009 to accurately

reflect the authority of the Chief Medical Examiner under the Fatalities Investigations Act .

A BILL

AN ACT TO AMEND THE VITAL STATISTICS ACT,

Analysis

S.15 Amdt.

Registration of death required

S.17 Amdt.

Issuing of burial permit

Be it enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor and

House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as follows:

SNL2009 cV-6.01

as amended

1. Subsection 15(5) of the Vital Statistics Act, 2009 is repealed.

2. Subsections 17(2) and (3) of the Act are

repealed and the following substituted:

(2) Where there is reason to believe that a person

has died in a circumstance referred to in

section 5, 6, 7, or 8 of the Fatalities Investigations Act, a burial

permit shall not be issued by the funeral director unless

(

a) the body has been examined by the chief

medical examiner, a medical examiner or an investigator under the Fatalities Investigations Act and an

investigation is being made by that person into the circumstances of the death;

(

b) the chief medical examiner or a medical

examiner or, with the consent of a medical examiner under subsection 10(5) of

the Fatalities Investigations Act , a

medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner has signed the medical certificate

portion of the death registration form indicating the cause of death; and

(

c) there is compliance with the other provisions

of this Act respecting the registration of the death.

(3) Where a person dies under circumstances referred

to in subsection (2) and a person referred to in paragraph (2)(

b) cannot complete

the medical certificate portion of the death registration form because the

investigation into the circumstances of the death has not yet concluded, that

person shall submit the medical certificate portion of the death registration

form as pending and the funeral director shall, upon the release of the body

for burial, issue a burial permit.

(4) Where the medical certificate portion of the

death registration form has been submitted as pending under subsection (3) and

the investigation into the circumstances of the death has concluded, the chief

medical examiner or other person identified in paragraph (2)(

b) shall submit

the completed medical certificate portion of the death registration form to the

registrar general.

Queen's Printer