Submission to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights of the House of Commons for its Study of Bill C-5, an Act to Amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code

Abstract

Brief to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights of the House of Commons, Canada, on Bill C-5, Clause 4. The brief proposes revisions to proposed amendments to the Criminal Code requiring written or recorded reasons for decision in sexual offence cases. The proposed revisions set out in the Brief would require that reasons for decision be either written or transcribed and published on a web site accessible to the public without fee. The objective of the proposed revisions to the amendments is to provide measures that will be more effective to enhance judicial accountability, the transparency of the legal process, and trust in the justice system — all purposes highlighted in the Preamble to the Bill. The brief does not address the provisions in Bill C-5 dealing with judicial education. Bill C-5 is available on the House of Commons web site.