The ''Criminal Code'' () is a law of the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

that codifies most, but not all,

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

offences and criminal procedure in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Its official long title is ''An Act respecting the Criminal Law'' (French: ). It is indexed in the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985 as chapter number C-46 and it is sometimes abbreviated as ''Cr.C.'' (French: ) in legal reports. Section 91(27) of the '' Constitution Act, 1867'' establishes that the

has sole jurisdiction over

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

. Accordingly, the Criminal Code applies to the entirety of the country, meaning that in Canada, all crimes which are defined under the Criminal Code are federal crimes and can be prosecuted anywhere they occur in or out of the country. The ''Criminal Code'' contains some defences, but most are part of the

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

rather than

statute A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

. Important Canadian criminal laws not forming part of the Code include the '' Firearms Act'', the '' Controlled Drugs and Substances Act'', the '' Canada Evidence Act'', the '' Food and Drugs Act'', the '' Youth Criminal Justice Act'', the '' Customs Act'', and the '' Contraventions Act''. The Code underwent a major revision in 1954, which came into force in April 1955, but nonetheless remains the fundamental criminal law of Canada, despite several initiatives at major reform or the enactment of a new criminal code entirely. In 2018, and later 2019, the Trudeau government made a large revision to the Code which repealed numerous unconstitutional or archaic offences that had remained in it up to that point. One of the conveniences of the ''Criminal Code'' was that it constituted the principle that no person could be convicted of a crime unless otherwise specifically outlined and stated in a statute. This legal document has played a major part in Canada's history and has also helped form other legal acts and laws, for example, the '' Controlled Drugs and Substances Act''.

Structure

*Part I — General *Part II — Offences Against Public Order *Part II.1 — Terrorism *Part III — Firearms and Other Weapons *Part IV — Offences Against the Administration of Law and Justice *Part V — Sexual Offences, Public Morals and Disorderly Conduct *Part VI — Invasion of Privacy *Part VII — Disorderly Houses, Gaming and Betting *Part VIII — Offences Against the Person and Reputation *Part VIII.1 — Offences Relating to Conveyances *Part IX — Offences Against Rights of Property *Part X — Fraudulent Transactions Relating to Contracts and Trade *Part XI — Wilful and Forbidden Acts in Respect of Certain Property *Part XII — Offences Relating to Currency *Part XII.1 — ~~Instruments and Literature for Illicit Drug Use~~ (repealed) *Part XII.2 — Proceeds of Crime *Part XIII — Attempts — Conspiracies — Accessories *Part XIV — Jurisdiction *Part XV — Special Procedure and Powers *Part XVI — Compelling Appearance of an Accused Before a Justice and Interim Release *Part XVII — Language of Accused *Part XVIII — Procedure on Preliminary Inquiry *Part XVIII.1 — Case Management Judge *Part XIX — Indictable Offences — Trial Without Jury *Part XIX.1 — Nunavut Court of Justice *Part XX — Procedure in Jury Trials and General Provisions *Part XX.1 — Mental Disorder *Part XXI — Appeals — Indictable Offences *Part XXI.1 — Applications for Ministerial Review — Miscarriages of Justice *Part XXII — Procuring Attendance *Part XXII.01 — Remote Attendance by Certain Persons *Part XXII.1 — Remediation Agreements *Part XXIII — Sentencing *Part XXIV — Dangerous Offenders and Long-term Offenders *Part XXV — Effect and Enforcement of Undertakings, Release Orders and Recognizances *Part XXVI — Extraordinary Remedies *Part XXVII — Summary Convictions *Part XXVIII — Miscellaneous

History and evolution

The ''Criminal Code'' stems from a long history of legal documents. The following documents play a part in the construction and changes brought on the ''Criminal Code'':

References

Notes

{{notelist

External links

Criminal Code (Department of Justice, Canada)Criminal Code
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

* Canadian Legal Information Institute contains th
CCoC in a searchable database
Criminal codes Canadian federal legislation 1892 in Canadian law Legal history of Canada Canadian criminal law

Structure

History and evolution

See also

References

Notes

External links