The Complete Brief
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December 10, 2025
Canada designates four new terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code
In order to “counter terrorism and violent extremism, in particular the radicalization of young people online,” the federal government has added four new organizations to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities.
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December 10, 2025
B.C. appoints 2 new judges to provincial court
The Government of British Columbia has appointed Michael Lefebure and Christina Proteau to the provincial court, with both appointments effective Jan. 5, 2026, according to the announcement from the province.
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December 10, 2025
McCarthy Tétrault adds Alastair MacKinnon as partner in Calgary
McCarthy Tétrault has welcomed Alastair MacKinnon as a partner in its business law group in Calgary.
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December 10, 2025
Court lifts stay in payment dispute, orders funds to be paid before appeal
The Ontario Court of Appeal has lifted a stay in a case concerning the sale of a video game, ordering that 855,155 euros be paid to the vendors ahead of an appeal.
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December 10, 2025
Prison lawyers: Contraband smugglers or misunderstood advocates?
The main gate phone rang; it was the shift supervisor: “We got Milano’s lawyer comin’ in at 13:30, make sure you check him good!”
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December 10, 2025
Will relaxed bank regulation help jump-start Canada’s economy?
Canada’s economic growth has slowed in recent years, with business investment lagging and productivity measures falling behind peer economies. Ottawa has hinted that any meaningful revival may need to start with the institutions that have remained resolutely strong: Canada’s major banks.
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December 10, 2025
Acquiring Canadian citizenship by descent under Bill C-3
The Canadian government has taken the final steps to overhaul its citizenship by descent rules, officially passing Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025). This landmark legislation restores Canadian status to thousands of individuals worldwide who were previously excluded by an unconstitutional restriction known as the “first-generation limit” (FGL).
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December 10, 2025
TYPES OF DAMAGES - For personal injuries - Cost of future care - Loss of earning capacity - Non-pecuniary loss
Appeal by King from trial judge’s award for past and future loss of earning capacity. Cross-appeal by Karpenko from awards for non-pecuniary damages, past and future loss of earning capacity, and cost of future care. Karpenko was rear-ended while merging onto a highway and sustained chronic soft tissue injuries.
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December 09, 2025
Federal Protecting Victims Act proposes wide-ranging & some contentious criminal law changes
The federal government has introduced a wide-ranging “Protecting Victims Act,” which proposes, among many things: the expansion of various offences and punishments; new restrictions impacting the current interpretation of the Charter rights of accused persons to speedy trials and to make full answer and defence in sexual assault and other prosecutions; the creation of a number of novel Criminal Code offences; and the effective “restoration” for future sentencing (via a new judicial discretion “safety valve”) of “all” unconstitutional Criminal Code mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) that were struck down as cruel and unusual punishment by various courts.
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December 09, 2025
Ontario urged to rethink ban on restorative justice in sexual offence cases
A number of legal organizations are calling for the Ontario government to change a policy that bans the use of restorative justice as an alternative to the criminal justice system in cases involving sexual offences.