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ARTICLE · 30 APRIL 2014

Canadian Victims Bill Of Rights

Miller Thomson
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On April 3, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced legislation to give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system.

CanadaCriminal Law

Introduction

On April 3, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced legislation to give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system.

The Victims Bill of Rights Act is a significant piece of legislation that seeks to create clear statutory rights at the federal level for victims of crime for the first time in Canada's history.  The legislation would establish statutory rights to information, protection, participation and restitution, and ensure a complaint process is in place for breaches of these rights.

Quasi-Constitutional Document

The Victims Bill of Rights Act will join the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Official Languages Act, the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act as a quasi-constitutional statute.  The rights set forth in the Victims Bill of Rights Act "will be balanced with these other quasi-constitutional rights."

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