Legislation introduced in the House of Assembly today
will modernize three acts pertaining to vital events. The Vital
Statistics Act, 2009, the Marriage Act, and the Change of
Name Act, 2009, will replace outdated legislation. This
comprehensive revision will ensure that policy issues, language and
privacy requirements reflect today�s standards and practices.
"These important pieces of legislation include
provisions that are already reflected in current policies that have been
in place for some time and are supported in other laws," said the
Honourable Kevin O�Brien, Minister of Government Services.
"Some of the changes, in particular with respect to
protection of personal information and privacy issues, are already
current practices," said Minister O�Brien. "The Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador takes privacy concerns very seriously and the
changes in these new acts reflect today�s standards for the protection
of personal information. This is in keeping with previous departmental
initiatives to protect privacy, such as introducing a more secure birth
certificate in February 2008, and
changing
procedures for being able to obtain a certificate on someone�s behalf."
The Marriage Act, replacing the
Solemnization of Marriage Act,
will allow the minister to
appoint marriage commissioners from outside the province on a temporary
basis to perform ceremonies in special circumstances and will also
provide for a number of updated protocols.
The Change of Name Act, 2009, will reduce
residency requirements from six months to three months and add offences
for
fraud or misrepresentation.
"This department has made a significant effort to
update older legislation over the last couple of years and these acts
are a great example of that effort,"
said Minister O�Brien.
"While significant, many of the changes will not
affect the day-to-day transactions that the public has with the Vital
Statistics Division."
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Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Department of Government Services
709-729-4860, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca
2009 05 25 4:15 p.m.