Charter Statement - Bill C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act

Charter Statement - Bill C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act The Minister of Justice prepares a “Charter Statement” to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on a government bill. One of the Minister of Justice’s most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for consistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [“the Charter”]. By tabling a Charter Statement, the Minister is sharing some of the key considerations that informed the review of a bill for consistency with the Charter. A Statement identifies Charter rights and freedoms that may potentially be engaged by a bill and provides a brief explanation of the nature of any engagement, in light of the measures being proposed. A Charter Statement also identifies potential justifications for any limits a bill may impose on Charter rights and freedoms. A Charter Statement is intended to provide legal information to the public and Parliament. It is NOT intended to be a comprehensive overview of all conceivable Charter considerations. Additional considerations relevant to the constitutionality of a bill may also arise in the course of Parliamentary study and amendment of a bill. A Statement is NOT a legal opinion on the constitutionality of a bill. 2023-05-17 Department of Justice Canada OG-GO@justice.gc.ca Government and PoliticsLawPersonsProcessesSociety and CultureDepartment of JusticeAccess to InformationCanada's System of JusticeJustice Canada PublicationsCharter of Rights and FreedomsCharter Statements42nd Parliament: 1st Session Statement of Potential Charter ImpactsHTML https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/pl/charter-charte/c51.html Statement of Potential Charter ImpactsHTML https://www.justice.gc.ca/fra/sjc-csj/pl/charte-charter/c51.html

The Minister of Justice prepares a “Charter Statement” to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on a government bill. One of the Minister of Justice’s most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for consistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [“the Charter”]. By tabling a Charter Statement, the Minister is sharing some of the key considerations that informed the review of a bill for consistency with the Charter. A Statement identifies Charter rights and freedoms that may potentially be engaged by a bill and provides a brief explanation of the nature of any engagement, in light of the measures being proposed.

A Charter Statement also identifies potential justifications for any limits a bill may impose on Charter rights and freedoms.

A Charter Statement is intended to provide legal information to the public and Parliament. It is NOT intended to be a comprehensive overview of all conceivable Charter considerations. Additional considerations relevant to the constitutionality of a bill may also arise in the course of Parliamentary study and amendment of a bill. A Statement is NOT a legal opinion on the constitutionality of a bill.

  • Publisher - Current Organization Name: Department of Justice Canada
  • Publisher - Organization Name at Publication: Department of Justice
  • Licence: Open Government Licence - Canada

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