CCLA Intervenes in R. v. Archambault

TORONTO — Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made the following statement:

The CCLA will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada as an intervenor in R. v. Archambault on February 14, 2024.

This case is about the availability of preliminary inquiries for people charged with a criminal offence. Preliminary inquiries are important pre-trial hearings. The state must demonstrate there is sufficient evidence to take a person to trial, and evidence can be discovered that is relevant to Charte right violations.

In 2019, the federal government passed Bill C-75, limiting preliminary inquiries to offences that carry a maximum penalty of at least 14 years in prison. A key question in in Archambault is whether those charged with offences that occurred before Bill C-75 maintain a right to a preliminary inquiry.

It is unfair to change the law after the fact. Bill C-75 should not apply to offences that predated its enactment. People in Canada should not lose their right to a preliminary inquiry, an important tool to ensure a fair criminal justice system.

The CCLA is grateful to Janani Shanmuganathan and Owen Goddard of Goddard & Shanmuganathan LLP for their excellent pro bono représentation dans ce cas.

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You can read the CCLA’s factum ICI and the CCLA’s detailed comment on the case ICI.

À propos de l’association canadienne sur les libertés civiles
L’ACLC est un organisme indépendant à but non lucratif qui compte des partisans dans tout le pays. Fondée en 1964, c’est une association de défense des droits de la personne qui opère à l’échelle du Canada pour défendre les droits, la dignité, la sécurité et les libertés de toute la population.

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