Canadians have a right to self-defence, within reason
A Crown attorney made the right call in July by dropping second-degree murder charges against a Milton, Ont., man who shot and killed an intruder.
Take a second look at stories about surging crime
A recent media report noted that crime in Canada has increased for the second consecutive year, with violent crime reaching its highest point since 2007.
The contested right to spank your child
There is yet another bill being put forward to change the law that allows parents, guardians and teachers to spank a child.
Wrongful convictions registry may prevent future injustices
Wrongful convictions are an unfair consequence of the Canadian criminal justice system that I work in every day.
All prison inmates deserve a ray of hope, even Paul Bernardo
When news broke early in June that Paul Bernardo had been transferred to a medium-security prison in Quebec, many Canadians expressed shock and outrage.
Flipping the bird is a form of expression, not a crime
A judge in Montreal made the right call by ruling that giving someone the middle finger is not a crime, but is in fact “a God-given, Charter-enshrined right that belongs to every red-blooded Canadian.”
Bail reform should not be driven by isolated events
The federal government’s proposed reforms to the country’s bail system come after a handful of high-profile incidents where people out on bail were accused of committing horrific crimes.
Government amendments to sex offender registry fall short
Proposed legislation introduced by the Liberal government at the end of April addresses changes to the National Sex Offender Registry.
A ‘consistent’ definition of an assault-style weapon would benefit everyone
The federal government “wants to abandon its approach of spelling out each make and variety of banned firearm in lengthy lists” and instead provide a “clear, consistent” definition of assault-style firearms to be prohibited, according to a recent news report.
If you are accused of a crime, the best advice may be not to testify
When preparing a client for a criminal trial I always stress that the burden of proof lies with the Crown attorney. To win a conviction, the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused has committed a crime.
