Criminal
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March 30, 2026
N.B. to launch ‘centralized’ online bail hearings
New Brunswick is launching virtual bail hearings for select locations in a bid to free up court space, quicken access to justice and conserve resources. According to a recent news release, the launch is slotted for April 9 and will begin for “all bail hearings from Fredericton and Woodstock.”
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March 30, 2026
Quebec Court of Appeal, Superior Court get new judges
The federal government has appointed two judges to the Quebec Court of Appeal and Superior Court, the Department of Justice has announced.
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March 30, 2026
Ottawa appoints 5 judges to courts across Ontario
The federal government has appointed five judges in Ontario, the Department of Justice has announced.
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March 27, 2026
Bar association warns against premiers’ push to vet judicial picks
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) is calling on the federal government to resist “politicization” of judicial appointments amid calls for change from several provincial leaders. CBA president Bianca Kratt, in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the process as it currently exists has “real strengths, above all its meaningful insulation from political considerations.”
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March 27, 2026
Federal Budget Implementation Act receives royal assent
Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act, 2025, No. 1, received royal assent on March 27. According to a government release, this “key piece of legislation will help the government deliver on its plan to build one united economy, empower Canadians to get ahead, and protect our country and sovereignty — today, and for generations to come.”
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March 27, 2026
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada releases report on AI impacts on financial industry
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has released a report highlighting AI issues related to “consumer financial well-being and protection, security and cybersecurity, financial crime and financial stability.”
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March 27, 2026
Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act receives royal assent
On March 26, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), received royal assent. According to a government release, the Act strengthens Canada’s immigration and asylum systems, providing law enforcement agencies with “more tools to keep our borders secure, combat transnational organized crime, illegal fentanyl and illicit financing.”
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March 27, 2026
The wizard behind the curtain; the judge beneath the robe
I have been on a mission since my retirement in December 2021.
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March 27, 2026
Minor Charter breaches fail to outweigh serious firearm offence, Appeal Court rules
Does any Charter breach bring the administration of justice into dispute? That was the essential question posed to the Ontario Court of Appeal and answered in the recently released decision in R. v. Hosang, 2026 ONCA 51.
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March 25, 2026
Ottawa & provinces roll out disparate views on the ‘notwithstanding’ clause at Supreme Court
Before the Supreme Court of Canada reserved its impending historic decision on March 26, the top court heard starkly different interpretations this week about the nature and operation of the Charter’s s. 33 “notwithstanding” clause.