Reading Time: 4 minutes The Government of Canada recently gave the Criminal Code a legal face lift after conducting a detailed review to eliminate all the excess and outdated (err, weird) laws. But there still remains some interesting, unique and lesser known criminal offences.
BenchPress – Vol 41-5
Reading Time: 3 minutes Get Going Minister! Morteza Momenzadeh Tameh was a member of a resistance group with links to terrorist groups in Iran in the 1980s. He was imprisoned by the Iranian government from 1982 to 1987. After his release he fled to Canada and requested permanent residency in 1994, after being found to be a UN Convention […]
Whatever Happened to … Scandalous Criminal Allegations: the Miazga Case
Reading Time: 4 minutes Introduction Miazga v. Kvello Estate is a tragic, yet fascinating, case which reminds us of the devastating power of criminal prosecution to ruin innocent lives and the near impossibility to hold Crown prosecutors legally accountable when that happens [(2009) 3 SCR 339, 2009 SCC 51 http://canlii.ca/t/26g27]. Facts In 1989, Michael, Michelle and Kathleen Ross (aged […]
The Crime of Counseling Criminal Offences
Reading Time: 6 minutes … some may argue that the publication of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, with its famous phrase “let’s kill all the lawyers”, should be subject to state scrutiny! – R. v. Hamilton, 2005 SCC 47 Introduction A few years ago, a University of Calgary professor suggested on national television that someone should kill Julian Assange, the founder […]
Corporal Punishment and Domestic Violence: The Case for “Anti-Spanking” Legislation
Reading Time: 5 minutes Recall conversations among parents deliberating the joys and perils of raising children – does the following sound familiar? “I wouldn’t normally spank my kid, but if he crosses the road without looking, you bet I’m gonna make my point! That’ll be the last time he does that.” While spanking is reportedly becoming an a gauche […]
Cyberbullying or Criminal Conduct?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, texting or similar means of communicating over the Internet have given new challenges to teachers, parents and most of all, youth. We tell youth to be cautious, to use their common sense, to not talk to strangers and to keep their personal information private. And yet these precautions, even when followed, do […]