Report on Charge Screening Practices and Crown Evidentiary Thresholds in Canada

With police investigations becoming increasingly complex and prosecutions ever more sophisticated, Canada’s criminal justice system faces new challenges to ensure it sustains the public’s confidence. It is imperative that justice system participants, including the Crown and police, work together to find solutions to maintain an efficient and effective justice system that operates fairly to all: the accused person, victims of crime and the public. After extensive consultation with a broad range of justice participants across Canada, including police associations, prosecution services, legal aid societies, governmental and community agencies, and academics, this report makes a number of recommendations based on these fundamental principles with the goal of enhancing justice efficiencies and access to the criminal justice system. This report should not be read and understood as if each of the recommendations were to be implemented by each of the provinces and territories in their entirety. The committee is aware that the various Canadian criminal justice systems are grappling with different issues and that some have already incorporated several of the report’s recommendations. The committee drew on the best practices of each of these systems in developing the recommendations.

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