That change I've suggested is really for clarity and visibility. I don't see it as a change in substance at all. At the constitutional level, there is currently no prohibition on Parliament or provincial legislatures passing legislation that operates retroactively outside of the criminal context. That's the current state of the law. We're concerned enough about retroactivity and the potential for unfairness that there's a presumption of interpretation of legislation that it is intended to operate prospectively, unless the contrary intent is made clear. So we want to make clear here that this is a bill that will apply to conduct that occurred in the past.
On October 28th, 2014. See this statement in context.