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.”
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.
Proposed legislation introduced by the Liberal government at the end of April addresses changes to the National Sex Offender Registry.
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.
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.
After an accused is convicted, the judge’s next task is to arrive at an appropriate sentence. This is a complex process since the circumstances surrounding offences are never the same and there are many factors the court must take into consideration.
The testimony of the complainant and the accused was once the key evidence in many sexual assault cases, with the court left to decide who was telling the truth.
Social media has transformed the way people communicate with each other. Young people in particular rely on text messages or platforms such as Snapchat to communicate because it is so easy.
When deciding on a sentence following a conviction, the judge must consider s.718 of the Criminal Code.
