Technical Paper: Bill C-36, An Act to amend the Criminal Code in response to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Attorney General of Canada v. Bedford and the make consequential amendments to other Acts (Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act)

This paper provides an overview of the Supreme Court of Canada's findings in its December 20, 2013 Bedford decisions and explains the basis for the Government's legislative response: Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which received Royal Assent on November 6, 2014 (S.C. 2014, c.25). In Bedford, the Supreme Court of Canada declared unconstitutional three Criminal Code offences addressing prostitution-related conduct on the basis that they violated section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the “Charter”). Section 7 protects the rights to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

Publisher

Department of Justice Canada

Resources

4

Catalogue metadata updated

2023-05-17