Author Description

"The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force on April 17, 1982. The purpose of this analysis is to determine the effect that certain sections of the Charter dealing with "legal rights" have had on existing criminal law since then. The relevant sections of the Charter are 7 to 14 inclusive. They deal with such matters as the right to life, liberty and security; the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure; the rights of an accused upon arrest; the right of an accused to certain proceedings in criminal and penal matters; and the right not be subject to cruel and unusual punishment. As there are now a great number of decided cases dealing with these sections, this Review will concentrate on significant decisions of the provincial Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada"--Page 1.