How does the Charter affect a criminal trial?

Section 11 of the Charter sets out a number of specific guarantees for persons facing a criminal trial. These include the following:

• the right to be tried within a reasonable time;
• the right to not be a witness against themselves;
• the right to be presumed to be innocent until proven guilty according to law in a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial court;
• the right not to be denied reasonable bail without just cause;
• the right to trial by jury where the maximum punishment is imprisonment for more than 5 years or a more severe punishment;
• the right, if acquitted of a charge, not to be tried for it again, and if convicted and punished, not to be tried and punished for it again;
• the right to be charged only in matters that constitute an offence under Canadian or international law, or in a criminal matter in accordance with general principles of law recognized by the community of nations.

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