Department of Justice Canada Reopens the Survey of Criminal Justice System Stakeholders: Efficiencies, Legislative Amendments, and the Ongoing Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

by | Jun 23, 2025 | Criminal Law, Justice Canada, Uncategorised

(Le français suit l’anglais)

The Department of Justice Canada is reopening the Survey of Criminal Justice System Stakeholders: Efficiencies, Legislative Amendments, and the Ongoing Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This survey examines stakeholders’ perceptions of criminal justice system (CJS) efficiencies, explores the impacts of recent legislative changes related to criminal court efficiencies, remote court attendance, and bail, as well as looking at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the CJS.

The Department of Justice Canada wants to hear about your perceptions of the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system (CJS), in your role as a CJS professional. Former Bill C-75 (earliest amendments came into force July 22, 2019) made changes related to remote court appearances, bail, sentencing and administration of justice offences, among other sections of the Criminal Code and Youth Criminal Justice Act with a view to improving efficiencies; while the COVID-19 pandemic affected how courts operated. Bill S-4 (came into force on January 15, 2023), made further changes to the Criminal Code to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on criminal courts while increasing the flexibility and efficiency of the CJS, including by enhancing and clarifying rules for remote criminal proceedings. Since then, a number of additional relevant amendments to Criminal Code procedures have been made, namely under Bill C-48, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform) which came into force on January 5, 2024.

The survey was first launched in February 2025 and closed in late March due to the election period. To ensure that all interested stakeholders have an opportunity to provide feedback, the survey will be reopened until July 11, 2025.

We thank all those who have already taken the time to complete the survey. In order to receive as many additional responses as possible, we would greatly appreciate your assistance in sending an email to inform your members/networks that the survey has been reopened and to encourage those who did not have an opportunity previously, to participate. As a reminder, the survey seeks the views of stakeholders with experience in the criminal justice system, including Crown and defence lawyers, the judiciary, police officers, court administrators and other court workers.

The survey link can be found here: https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=6d649078-c15d-415d-bd8a-c85e17216486

Le ministère de la Justice du Canada ouvre à nouveau le Sondage auprès des intervenants du système de justice pénale : gains d’efficience, modifications législatives et répercussions continues de la pandémie de COVID-19. Ce sondage examine les perceptions des intervenants à l’égard de l’efficience du système de justice pénale (SJP), explore les répercussions des récentes modifications législatives liées à l’efficacité des tribunaux de juridiction criminelle, à la comparution à distance et à la mise en liberté sous caution, ainsi que l’incidence de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur le SJP.

Le ministère de la Justice du Canada veut connaître votre point de vue, en tant que professionnel du système de justice pénale (SJP), sur l’efficience et l’efficacité du SJP. L’ancien projet de loi C‑75 (les premières modifications sont entrées en vigueur le 22 juillet 2019) a entre autres apporté des modifications à des articles du Code criminel et de la Loi sur le système de justice pénale pour les adolescents concernant les comparutions à distance, la mise en liberté sous caution, la détermination de la peine et les infractions contre l’administration de la justice dans l’objectif de réaliser des gains d’efficacité; parallèlement, la pandémie de COVID-19 a eu une incidence sur le fonctionnement des tribunaux. Le projet de loi S-4 (entré en vigueur le 15 janvier 2023) a apporté d’autres modifications au Code criminel afin de remédier aux répercussions de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur les tribunaux de juridiction pénale tout en améliorant la souplesse et l’efficacité du SJP, y compris par l’amélioration et la clarification des règles relatives aux procédures pénales tenues à distance. Depuis, un certain nombre d’autres modifications pertinentes ont été apportées aux procédures du Code criminel, notamment en vertu du projet de loi C-48, Loi modifiant le Code criminel (réforme sur la mise en liberté sous caution), lequel est entré en vigueur le 5 janvier 2024.

L’enquête a été lancée pour la première fois en février 2025 et s’est terminée fin mars en raison de la période électorale. Pour s’assurer que tous les intervenants intéressés ont l’occasion de donner leur avis, le sondage sera rouvert jusqu’à 11 juillet 2025.

Nous remercions tous ceux qui ont déjà pris le temps de répondre au sondage. Afin de recevoir le plus grand nombre possible de réponses supplémentaires, nous vous serions très reconnaissants de partager à nouveau ce courriel pour informer vos membres et réseaux que le sondage a été rouvert et pour encourager ceux qui n’ont pas eu l’occasion d’y participer auparavant. À titre de rappel, le sondage vise à recueillir les points de vue d’intervenants ayant de l’expérience dans le système de justice pénale, notamment des avocats de la Couronne et de la défense, des juges, des policiers, des administrateurs de tribunaux et d’autres travailleurs judiciaires.

Le lien vers l’enquête se trouve ici : https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=6d649078-c15d-415d-bd8a-c85e17216486

Webinar on Pre-Crime

by | Feb 21, 2019 | Continuing Professional Development, Criminal Law, Uncategorised

Summary:

This webinar will explore recent developments in Canadian law that indicate a new trend toward imposing punitive measures at increasingly earlier stages of the prosecutorial process. The result is a potentially new field of criminal management some academics have dubbed “pre-crime”. Pre-crime, which seeks to use the law as a technology of surveillance, is based upon ideas now seen as commonplace in the era of the “war on terror”. Specifically, the need to ensure security at all costs, the proliferation of digital data, and the development of drones, social networking, and cloud storage to gather personal data. The webinar will be of use to anyone with an interest in criminal law, policing, and surveillance, as well as those interested in how areas of law, such as immigration, health, and anti-terrorism, are mobilizing the logic of risk and surveillance in new ways that emphasize precaution

Speaker:

Dr. Richard Jochelson is an associate professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba and holds his PhD in law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, a Masters in Law from University of Toronto Law School, and a Law Degree from University of Calgary Law School (Gold Medal). He is a former law clerk who served his articling year at the Alberta Court of Appeal and Court of Queen’s Bench, before working at one of Canada’s largest law firms. He worked for ten years teaching criminal and constitutional law at another Canadian university prior to joining Robson Hall. He has published peer-reviewed articles dealing with obscenity, indecency, judicial activism, police powers, criminal justice pedagogy and curriculum development, empiricism in criminal law, and conceptions of judicial and jury reasoning. He is a member of the Bar of Manitoba and has co-authored and co-edited several books. He has recently co-authored Criminal Law and Precrime: Legal Studies in Canadian Punishment and Surveillance in Anticipation of Criminal Guilt (2018, Routledge).

Webinar Costs:

CALL/ACBD Member: $40 + HST = $45.20 
CALL/ACBD Student Member: $25 + HST = $28.25
Non-member: $60 + HST = $67.80

Click here to register.

Please note: The library will be closed on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 for Canada Day.  Regular library service will resume Wednesday, July 2nd at 8:30AM.