Criminal
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March 31, 2026
Alberta pushes for constitutional change on judicial appointments
The Government of Alberta announced that it will introduce a motion calling for “constitutional amendments that give the province a say in superior court appointments.”
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March 31, 2026
Report finds 1,000-plus Charter breaches by Ontario police
Legal observers are calling for systemic change in response to a new report that found more than 1,000 Charter violations by police in a 10-year period — a number that is being called only the tip of the iceberg. The Unlawful Enforcers report, which was co-authored by Western University faculty of law adjunct research professor Sunil Gurmukh, found that officers from the five largest city police services in Ontario — namely Toronto, Peel, York Region, Durham Region and Ottawa — violated the Charter more than 1,000 times in over 600 reported court cases in a 10-year period from 2015 to 2025.
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March 31, 2026
How discretionary analysis can impact the granting of immigration benefits
Most foreign nationals who make applications to the U.S. government for immigration status expect that their applications will be approved. But many of those same foreign nationals do not know that even if they provide every page of required documents and answer every question on the forms to perfection, they may still be denied the benefit sought. That is because of the discretion afforded to officers who work for the U.S. government’s immigration-related agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) and U.S. Department of State (USDOS).
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March 31, 2026
The wizard behind the curtain; the judge beneath the robe: Act II
Toto, draw that curtain back some more. How do we pick our judges?
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March 30, 2026
Ottawa launches consultations on first national anti-fraud strategy
The federal government has launched consultations on Canada’s first national anti-fraud strategy, including proposals that could require banks to warn customers about fraud risks during large money transfers.
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March 30, 2026
PM launches process to select Justice Martin’s replacement on SCC bench
On March 30, Prime Minister Mark Carney launched the process to “select the next judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, who will fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Justice Sheilah L. Martin.”
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March 30, 2026
N.B. to launch ‘centralized’ online bail hearings
New Brunswick is launching virtual bail hearings for select locations in a bid to free up court space, quicken access to justice and conserve resources. According to a recent news release, the launch is slotted for April 9 and will begin for “all bail hearings from Fredericton and Woodstock.”
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March 30, 2026
Quebec Court of Appeal, Superior Court get new judges
The federal government has appointed two judges to the Quebec Court of Appeal and Superior Court, the Department of Justice has announced.
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March 30, 2026
Ottawa appoints 5 judges to courts across Ontario
The federal government has appointed five judges in Ontario, the Department of Justice has announced.
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March 27, 2026
Bar association warns against premiers’ push to vet judicial picks
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) is calling on the federal government to resist “politicization” of judicial appointments amid calls for change from several provincial leaders. CBA president Bianca Kratt, in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the process as it currently exists has “real strengths, above all its meaningful insulation from political considerations.”