Department of Justice

ORGANIZED CRIME LEGISLATION RECEIVES ROYAL ASSENT

OTTAWA, December 18, 2001 – The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Solicitor General of Canada, are pleased that strong new legislation to fight organized crime received Royal Assent today.

"With the passage of Bill C-24, we will have more effective laws and aggressive prosecution strategies to target organized crime in our communities," said Minister McLellan. "Organized crime is insidious, it poses a threat to the safety and security of our communities, and it must be treated seriously."

"This bill will give police and prosecutors the tools they need to disable and dismantle criminal organizations," Minister MacAulay.

Bill C-24 will amend the Criminal Code to:

• introduce three new offences and tough sentences that target various degrees of involvement with criminal organizations;
• improve the protection of people who play a role in the justice system from intimidation against them or their families;
• simplify the current definition of "criminal organization" in the Criminal Code;
• broaden powers of law enforcement to forfeit the proceeds of crime and, in particular, the profits of criminal organizations and to seize property that was used in a crime; and
• establish an accountability process that establishes immunity from criminal prosecution for law enforcement officers when they commit certain acts that would otherwise be considered illegal during the course of criminal investigations.

The provisions under Bill C-24 will come into force soon after measures for implementation have been arranged with the provinces, territories, police and others responsible for enforcement.

Today's announcement builds on progress made by the Government of Canada in taking action against organized crime, including amendments to the Criminal Code in 1997, which made participation in a criminal organization an indictable offence and enhanced police investigative powers.

This legislation also meets the objectives of the federal, provincial and territorial National Agenda on Organized Crime and fulfils commitments made in the 2001 Speech from the Throne to safeguard Canadians from new and emerging forms of crime, including organized crime. In addition, the passage of Bill C-24 ensures Canada can carry out its obligations as a signatory of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and the Council of Europe's Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of Proceeds of Crime.

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Ref:

Farah Mohamed
Minister's Office
Department of Justice Canada
(613) 992-4621

Dan Brien
Minister's Office
Solicitor General Canada
(613) 991-2874