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Shortage of prosecutors: towards abandoning prosecutions
Crown prosecutors fear the worst in the face of the crisis which is slowing down the functioning of the criminal justice system in New Brunswick. Calls for help have been made for two weeks. Me Yves Duguay, Vice-President of the New Brunswick Association of Crown Prosecutors and prosecutor in Bathurst, admits that the situation has been worrying for a while.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-03-27
B.C. prosecutors’ association raises security concerns about Vancouver courthouse following assault
The association that represents B.C.’s roughly 450 Crown prosecutors is raising safety concerns around an East Vancouver courthouse after a member was allegedly assaulted outside last week. "We’re reeling, this has really shaken us to the core to have one of our own attacked right here,” said BCCCA president Adam Dalrymple.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-02-05
Increased number of homicides doesn’t bode well for overworked N.L. prosecutors, association says
There are 17 homicide cases before the courts in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the head of the association that represents local prosecutors says the higher-than-normal caseload will be difficult to handle.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-09-07
Manitoba adds 25 Crown attorneys to prosecution service amid workload issues
The Manitoba government hopes to add about two dozen more prosecutors and assistants to the prosecution service, which attorneys say has been struggling to keep up amid workload and workforce issues. Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys says province left group out of discussions.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-06-26
Les Leyne: Premier David Eby takes on lawyers — again
The B.C. NDP government has introduced a one-page bill that bestows the right to join a union on the 350 lawyers who work for government. There’s a catch. It herds them into a union the government prefers, the Professional Employees Association, rather than allowing them to form their own.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-05-06
‘Unfair labour practice’: B.C. government accused of blocking union bid by its own lawyers
Lawyers for the B.C. government say the province has ended negotiations with them ahead of legislation they claim aims to block their right to form their own union.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2023-05-04
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Justice denied: More money the best fix for court delays, say Crown lawyers
05-03-2017
In late January, an Ottawa judge stayed sexual assault charges against a 15-year-old boy who stood accused of attacking a three-year-old child at his mother’s daycare.
A few days later, in Manitoba, a similar case against a man accused of sexually assaulting a child was also halted in its tracks.
Then, on Tuesday last week, an Alberta prosecutor stayed 15 criminal cases at once, including ones involving assault with a weapon, impaired driving and assaulting a peace officer.
The trend is only expected to get worse, and stems from a Supreme Court ruling last July in the case of R. v. Jordan.
The ruling set a presumptive ceiling of 18 months of delay for cases in the provincial court, and 30 months for cases in Superior court, from the time the charge is laid until the end of the case. If proceedings drag on longer, it’s considered a violation of the rights of the accused.
“The Supreme Court of Canada just re-iterated that we all have to come together to solve this issue of delays in our court system.”
Cases have become more numerous, he explained, and more complex over time. That means more disclosure and more time in front of a judge.
The solution, he said, lies in funding for additional resources in the justice system. More judges, more lawyers, more courtrooms and more support staff.
Since 2006, Woodburn noted, budgets have been frozen or stayed the same. At the same time, alternative solutions to ease the backlog, like better triage, plea bargaining, streamlining the court process and diverting charges, haven’t worked.
The provinces rely on transfer payments to prosecute criminal offences, which means it’s up to Ottawa to increase the cash flow.
But there’s reason for optimism, he contends.
“While Jordan didn’t create this crisis, it certainly has brought it to the forefront of our governments. And I’ve seen reactions from our various governments that I haven’t seen in the last 15 years.”
