October 09, 2026
The Supreme Court of Canada has explained how three Criminal Code sentencing provisions should interact and be interpreted when both the victim and offender are Indigenous, and how sentencing circles fit into the mix. On Oct. 9, the top court split 5-4 to dismiss the Nova Scotia Crown’s appeal from a majority Nova Scotia Court of Appeal decision that reduced the five-year sentence a provincial court judge imposed on respondent Harry Arthur Cope to three years (less remand credit of 18 months): R. v. Cope, 2026 SCC 32.
October 09, 2026
Appeal by Crown from judgment reducing respondent’s sentence for aggravated assault from five years’ imprisonment to three years’ imprisonment, less remand credit.
October 09, 2026
For lawyers, some issues extend beyond protecting rights and freedoms. A core concern is the risk of letting a rigid rule determine an outcome before examining the matter’s substance.
October 09, 2026
Canada’s refugee system exists to protect people fleeing persecution, not to provide an additional immigration process after an individual has been charged with a serious criminal offence in Canada.
October 09, 2026
Appeal by Bleck from his convictions and sentence. A Nissan Altima (Nissan) struck Roby. The only issue was the identity of the driver of the Nissan, specifically whether it was Bleck or Jamal.
October 08, 2026
The federal government has released two “What We Heard” reports on forced labour, outlining feedback received on newly proposed measures to strengthen the forced labour import ban in Bill C‑35, An Act respecting the prohibition of the importation of goods produced by forced labour, and on supply chain due diligence and civil liability measures.
October 08, 2026
Under the rubric of supporting “economic growth and competitiveness,” the federal Liberal government says its newly introduced “red tape reduction” bill (S-7) will “reduce unnecessary regulatory burden under 31 individual pieces of legislation and their corresponding regulations administered by 11 federal departments and agencies.”
October 08, 2026
Just weeks after Canada’s government created a chief firearms officer for the country’s northern territories, the Yukon has tabled legislation that would allow for the creation of its own “firearms advocate.” On Oct. 7, Yukon’s government introduced the Yukon Firearms Act — a law being proposed in a bid “to support responsible firearm owners” in the territory.
October 08, 2026
British Columbia Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie has announced the appointment of Matthew Turnell, Manpreet Mand and David Jenkins as provincial court judges.
October 08, 2026
Speech about Israel and Zionism can become antisemitic without treating opposition to Zionism as inherently antisemitic. In that respect, the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and the Nexus Document offer a more legally workable approach. They do not attempt to settle contested questions about Zionism in advance. Instead, they leave room to examine what was actually said, whom it targeted and the context in which it occurred.