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ARTICLE · 24 MARCH 2023

Subpoena Issued For Political Objectives Quashed

Gardiner Roberts LLP
Gardiner Roberts LLP
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A subpoena is a court order, usually issued as a matter of course based on a lawyer's request, for a person to appear at a specified time and place to provide testimony in a court proceeding.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Stephen Thiele
Stephen Thiele
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A subpoena is a court order, usually issued as a matter of course based on a lawyer's request, for a person to appear at a specified time and place to provide testimony in a court proceeding. A subpoena or summons to witness can be issued in both civil and criminal proceedings. However, the fact that a subpoena has been issued against a person does not mean that the witness is not entitled to challenge the legitimacy of being required to provide testimony or to be examined. The witness can bring an application to quash a subpoena.

In Trudeau v. His Majesty the King, 2023 ONSC 1598, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought an application to quash a subpoena that sought him to testify in a criminal proceeding against an accused who was charged for throwing gravel at him during the 2021 federal election. While boarding a campaign bus after an election campaign event, Prime Minister Trudeau was allegedly struck by gravel thrown at him by the accused. Three days later, the

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