SC on Mandatory minimums…

Jan 30, 2023 National Newswatch – The Canadian Press Mandatory minimum penalty for firing gun at house unconstitutional: Supreme Court The Supreme Court has just ruled one mandatory sentence unconstitutional while supporting two others, all three … [Read more...]

New measures…

Nov. 23, 2022  APRT Report / Justice Teams Network (US) Interrupting Intimate Partner Violence – A Guide for Community Responses without Police This report is a startling presentation around intimate partner violence acknowledging the consequences … [Read more...]

No reform…

Nov. 4, 2022 Lawyer’s Daily SCC overturns lower court decision, rules Criminal Code provisions on sentencing constitutional “A divided Supreme Court of Canada has overturned a Court of Appeal decision, ruling Nov. 4 that certain Criminal Code … [Read more...]

Mandatory Minimums…

Oct. 21, 2022 Globe and Mail – Louise Arbour and Michael Spratt Mandatory minimum penalties harm the justice system The authors, both well known in Canadian law circles, think that mandatory minimum penalties (MMP) are “pernicious.” These … [Read more...]

Human in there…

June 20, 2022  Human Rights Watch Organization Canada Canada: Abuse, Discrimination in Immigration Detention - Thousands Held; Systemic Change Needed In anticipation of the World Refugee Day (June 20) the Canadian Human rights Watch have issued a … [Read more...]

Human rights…

Dec 13, 2021 Canadian Bar Association Business and Human Rights The Bar uses the UN Guiding Principles (UNGP) (2011) and its update in 2018 to the UN General Assembly as the basis for lawyers to advise clients doing business internationally in … [Read more...]

Deaf ears and hard hearts…

June 28, 2021 Twitter from Barbara Low – The Kamloops and Marieval discoveries have a chance of prompting more determined political and social action.  Indigenous people of Canada have long struggled to make their perspective known to the political … [Read more...]

Bill C-22…

Feb.19, 2021 Government of Canada Bill C-22 An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act C-22 is current in Frist Reading and is expected to make significant inroads into both criminal law and drug law practice.  … [Read more...]

Back to Parliament…

Nov 23, 2020   Policy Options – Adeline Iftene Abusive uses of Structured Intervention Units and the Correctional Service’s conduct mean Parliament must get rid of SIUs or adopt Senate amendments. The link provides a summary of the controversy … [Read more...]

Gladue still…

July 27, 2020 CBC News – Colin Perkel Law barring conditional sentences for some offences is unconstitutional, court rules The conflict is between the Gladue prescription that the court must consider the Indigenous circumstances before sentencing … [Read more...]