Major Criminal Code Reforms That Have Recently Passed Into Law

In Canada, the law is not a static and unchanging thing. Laws evolve, and new laws are passed that clarify older laws and address new issues, with the hope that the law is always moving in the direction of being fairer and offering greater justice for everyone in the land. In today’s blog article, we want to mention some recent criminal code reforms that have passed into law. 

There are four bills that were recently passed into law, which is amazing since they were only introduced last fall, and will come into practice this month.

Bill C-14: The Bail and Sentencing Reform Act

Heavily supported by both politicians and law enforcement in every province and territory, this bill made about 80 changes to the existing Criminal Code laws on bail. The point of the bill is to strengthen existing law with tougher sentencing for certain crimes, better protections to victims from offenders, and, importantly, a reverse onus provision, where in some cases, the accused has to make the case on why he or she should be released on bail instead the previous status quo in which someone was assumed to be getting bail unless the Crown can make a compelling argument that the person should not.

Bill C-16: The Protecting Victims Act

This is important legislation to better protect victims of gender-based violence, sexual biolence, and intimate partner (domestic) violence. The most dramatic change is that femicide, or the killing of a woman by a partner or former partner is now first-degree murder offence. In addition there are reforms to how abusers are sentenced.

The Combatting Hate Act

The bill came about as a result of continued violence and hate crimes specifically targeting Jewish, Muslim, and other communities. The bill gives courts clearer direction regarding using hate motivation as an aggravating factor in sentencing offenders, so they get harsher penalties.

The Lawful Access Act

This fourth bill was an add-on to the previous three, and addresses the challenges facing law enforcement over digital evidence. Law enforcement will have better access to electronic and often encrypted evidence and more modern tools to do so. The full details are currently being worked on and implemented. 

If you have been charged with a criminal offence, please contact Gagan Nahal for a free consultation in Vancouver at (604) 527-4769 as soon as possible. Mr. Nahal’s law practice focuses on criminal defence law, and he has extensive experience in this area of the law.

Gagan Nahal is a criminal defence lawyer based in Surrey, British Columbia, although he has represented clients across Canada. He works vigorously and tirelessly defending his clients. 

If you have any questions about this article or you would like to talk to Mr. Nahal, please call him directly at (604) 527-4769.