Federal Protecting Victims Act proposes wide-ranging & some contentious criminal law changes
Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the reforms proposed in Bill C-16 ‘confront the rise in coercive control, respond to the growing violence women are facing, and keep our kids safe from predators. They will make sure people who commit these horrific crimes face real consequences under the law.’
Tuesday, December 09, 2025 @ 6:23 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 @ 1:45 PM
The federal government has introduced a wide-ranging “Protecting Victims Act,” which proposes, among many things: the expansion of various offences and punishments; new restrictions impacting the current interpretation of the Charter rights of accused persons to speedy trials and to make full answer and defence in sexual assault and other prosecutions; the creation of a number of novel Criminal Code offences; and the effective “restoration” for future sentencing (via a new judicial discretion “safety valve”) of “all” unconstitutional Criminal Code mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) that were struck down as cruel and unusual punishment by various courts. ... [read more]
Report finds N.B. highways in poor condition, overseers not keeping up
Thursday, December 11, 2025 @ 1:25 PM
An audit report out of New Brunswick finds almost half of its highways to be in poor condition, and that it recently had the highest per capita highway death rate of all Canadian provinces. ... [read more]
Competition Bureau gets court order to investigate health-care technology merger
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 @ 5:10 PM
The Competition Bureau has announced that it has obtained a court order to gather information for the purpose of advancing its investigation into health-care technology company WELL Health’s acquisition of HEALWELL, which includes control over Orion Health, a company that HEALWELL acquired in April. ... [read more]
Alberta’s passage of notwithstanding clause bill slammed by legal, rights groups
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 @ 4:42 PM
Alberta has once again used the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield its legislation from constitutional scrutiny, this time for laws affecting medical treatment and pronoun use by transgender youth. ... [read more]
Canada designates four new terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 @ 4:35 PM
In order to “counter terrorism and violent extremism, in particular the radicalization of young people online,” the federal government has added four new organizations to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities. ... [read more]
