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Abortion is not a crime in Canada. But it is an area of the law where, beyond that simple fact, the waters are very murky. In a nutshell, the Supreme Court of Canada said that the section of the Criminal Code which made abortion a crime was of no force or effect so it is as if that section did not exist. The Supreme Court can overrule Parliament when the latter's laws are incompatible with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That was the case here.
Cruelty to animals elicits a strong reaction from most members of society. Canadian law's response to the issue is, to hear some tell it, either too vague and piecemeal or not strong enough. This article summarizes the "state of the art".
Canada's criminal law is rooted in the common law of England. The public policy advantages of codification began at the end of the 18th century in England where, in the words of Canadian Federal Court judge Allen Linden, criminal law had evolved into "a bottomless pit of complex case law, petty, anachronistic offences and harsh punishments."
No person shall, knowing that another person is harassed or recklessly as to whether the other person is harassed, repeatedly follow, communicate, beset or watch a residence or workplace of that person, that causes that other person reasonably, in all the circumstances, to fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them. This article looks at the offence of stalking, which the law refers to as "criminal harassment".
We can choose much about how we live but the law still refuses to let us choose how to die. Once marginalized as cultish, right-to-die activists dare to speak the "e" word (euthanasia).
For a citizen habituated to, and confident in the laws of their native or adopted land, especially one as free and democratic as Canada, extradition can be a terrifying prospect. This article looks at the extradition process, especially as it concerns extradition from Canada.
Hard to imagine a more cowardly act than a hit and run with a vehicle (or, dressed in the cryptic words of the statute, "failure to stop at scene of accident"), especially under circumstances where other persons may be hurt, be they cyclists, pedestrians or passengers. Canada's Parlaiment agrees and has prohibited this type of conduct in the nation's Criminal Code.
The Netherlands hosts the International Criminal Court, a building which attracts some of the worst criminals, capable of genocide and war crimes. As the ICC goes through its growing pains, the day of reckoning approaches where no safe sanctuary on earth would exist for those of the ilk of Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin or Charles Tayor.
At last, a responsive offence in Canada's Criminal Code to criminalize the conduct of luring a child via the Internet for the purposes of prohibited sexual offences.
When an overzealous or bit nutty madman starts cranking out complaints about ya, ya gotta know how to fight back! Don't start a feud with a nutcase - ...
In the area of motor vehicle law, certain Court cases have helped shaped the law. Here, for your listening pleasure, are the "Canada Motor Vehicle Cases - Greatest Hits".
Murder! A word which, while overused in the comic books of the world, remains the worst of crimes and against which, the criminal law stands at the ready.
To those who are comfortable with breaking the law, it may seem a natural extension to then attempt to corrupt the justice system seeking to punish them. Alive to this phenomenon, criminal law identifies "obstruction of justice" as a separate crime, one which necessarily carries bite as a justice system left so lef unprotected would be no justice system at all.
Pardons are the erasure of a person's criminal record. In Canada, applications for pardons are received and considered by the National Parole Board. This article looks at the process of getting a pardon in Canada.
The releasing of a prison inmate into the general public is a very difficult decision. This article looks at Canada's parole system.
In criminal prosescutions, the Crown can force a matter to skip a preliminary inquiry by way of a preferred indictment.
In a peculiar state of affairs, everything related to prostitution has been regulated by Canadian criminal law except prostitution itself. This article describes what has been regulated and similar or related offences in Canada.