Where does the criminal law in Canada come from?

The criminal law in Canada is the responsibility of the federal government. Canada is a confederation of provinces in a federal system. The Canadian Constitution is the British North America Act, passed in 1867, which gives exclusive authority to the Government of Canada to make criminal laws. Prior to this, English criminal law, inherited from the English settlers in North America, was the standard.

In 1892, the Canadian Parliament passed a law called the Criminal Code. It was called a Code because it consolidated crimes and criminal law procedure into a single statute. It has been amended and added to many times over the last century.

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October 1996

More Criminal Code FAQs:

• General
• Joyriding
• Shoplifting

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