OTTAWA –
Canada’s Supreme Court will issue a constitutional ruling today on extending Canadian rape protection laws made by liberals four years ago.
The rape protection laws, which have been in force in Canada for several decades, aim to prevent the complainant from using their sexual history in a case of sexual violence to discredit them.
The Penal Code states that evidence of the applicant’s previous sexual acts, which is not related to the charges, can only be admitted with the permission of a judge after a private hearing.
The court ruling today will determine whether some extensions of these laws, made in 2018, violate the rights of the accused to a fair trial.
These extensions include giving the applicant legitimacy and the right to a lawyer at private hearings on the evidence, and that the accused must seek permission from the judge with at least seven days’ notice to accept the applicant’s personal files in his possession. .
It includes two separate appeals, which were examined jointly by the Supreme Court, one filed by the accused and the other by the appellant.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2022.
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