Criminal Law
1950
In R v. Boucher [1951] S.C.R. 265,
the Supreme Court of Canada deems that handing out religious pamphlets
by Jehovah's Witnesses does not constitute seditious libel and is therefore
not a criminal act.
1961
In R. v. Gonzales (1962) 132 C.C.C.
237 (B.C.C.A.) and Attorney General of B.C. v. McDonald (1961)
31 C.C.C. 126, the courts decide s. 94(a) of the Indian Act, which
prohibits Aboriginal persons from being unlawfully in possession of liquor
off a reserve, does not violate the Bill of Rights .
1963
In Robertson and Rosetanni v. R.
[1963] S.C.R. 651, the Lord's Day Act, preventing businesses
from opening on Sunday, is upheld.
1970
R .v Drybones [1970]
S.C.R. 282 strikes down s. 94 of the Indian Act, which prohibited Aboriginal
persons from being unlawfully in possession of liquor off a reserve, as
a violation of the Canadian Bill of Rights.
1971
The Criminal Code makes it a crime to advocate genocide or publicly incite
hatred against people because of their colour, race, religion or ethnic
identity.
S. 94 of the Indian Act,
restricting the possession of intoxicants by Aboriginal persons, is repealed
(R.S. c. 32 (1st supp).
1982
The Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms is enacted as part of the Constitution Act, 1982.
1985
Sunday closing laws are a violation
of freedom of religion in R. v. Big M Drug Mart 1 S.C.R. 295.
1990
In R. v. Keegstra (1990) 1 C.R.
(4th) 129 (SCC), the Supreme Court of Canada decides that
s. 319(2) of the Criminal Code, which makes it a crime to wilfully promote
hatred against a person because of their colour, race, religion or ethic
identity, is a reasonable limit of free speech under the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms.
The Supreme Court of Canada decides
that the Crown has a legal duty to give all the evidence it has to an
accused person to help that person defend himself or herself in R.
v. Stinchcombe (1991) 68 C.C.C. (43d) 1 (S.C.C.).
1992
In R.v. Zundel [1992] 2 S.C.R.
731, the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down the Criminal Code prohibition
against spreading false news because it violates freedom of expression
under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
1993
The Supreme Court decides that prisoners
behind bars cannot universally be denied the right to vote in Sauvé
v. Canada (Attorney General) 89 D.L.R. (4th) 644.
The Supreme Court of Canada lays down the
rules for balancing the rights of the accused and the rights of the victim
in the cases of O'Connor [1995] 4 S.C.R. 411, Carosella [1997] 1 S.C.R.
80, and Mills (November 25, 1999)
1997
In R .v. Stillman [1997] 1 S.C.R.
607 , the Supreme Court of Canada decides that police could not take
hair, saliva samples, and teeth impressions from a suspect without consent.
In R. v. Feeney, [1997] 2 S.C.R.
13, the Supreme Court of Canada rules that police cannot enter the
home of a murder suspect without a search warrant.
1998
In R. v. M. ( M.R.) [1998] 3 S.C.R.
393, the Supreme Court of Canada rules that a school official does
not have to get a warrant to search a student or the student's locker.
1999
The Extradition Act (S.C. 1999
c. 18) is amended to hold that extradition should be refused where
the request is made for the purposes of punishing a person because of
his or her race, religion, language, ethnic origin, sexual orientation,
or age.
| 
