MINISTER OF JUSTICE MOVES TO STRENGTHEN AND
MODERNIZE CRIMINAL LAW IN CANADA

OTTAWA, June 22, 2006 – Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Vic Toews, Q.C, today introduced in the House of Commons an Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Criminal Procedure, Language of the Accused, Sentencing and Other Amendments) that will improve and update Canada’s criminal law. The proposals in the legislation address three main areas: strengthening sentencing measures, enhancing the efficiency of criminal procedures and clarifying court-related language rights provisions.

“These legislative amendments deal with evolving issues in criminal law across Canada – reforms that the provinces and territories have been instrumental in helping us identify and review,” said Minister Toews. “This bill will increase the effectiveness of the justice system in areas that include protection for victims, sentencing, the execution of search warrants, and levying fines for summary offences.”

Proposed amendments in the legislation include:

• Expanding the availability of non-communication orders to provide better protection to victims and other select individuals from unwanted communications from offenders while in custody;
• Providing further assurances, in tandem with recently introduced legislation to restrict the use of conditional sentences, to prohibit this form of punishment for those convicted of impaired driving causing bodily harm or death;
• Increasing the maximum fine for summary convictions, i.e., less serious offences, from $2,000 to $10,000 – an amount that has not been updated in more than 20 years; and,
• Facilitating the efficiency of the execution of out-of-province search warrants.

To ensure greater access to justice in both official languages, the legislation would clarify those provisions in the Criminal Code that guarantee the right of the accused to appear before a judge or jury who speak the official language of the accused and to have a Crown prosecutor who speaks the official language of the accused.

An online version of the legislation will be available at www.parl.gc.ca.

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Ref.:
Mark Quinlan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
(613) 957-4207