These amendments and supporting regulations will help control repeat criminal behaviour by ensuring that individuals comply with court orders prohibiting drug and alcohol use.
Truth in Sentencing Act (Bill C-25) (Effective date: February 22, 2010)
This legislation provides the courts with clear guidance and limits for granting credit for time served in custody prior to conviction and sentencing.
Identity Theft and Related Misconduct (Bill S-4) (Effective date: January 8, 2010)
This legislation provides police and justice officials with important new tools in the fight against identity theft. The act created three new "core" Criminal Code offences targeting the early stages of identity-related crime, all subject to five-year maximum prison sentences.
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants) (Bill C-14) (Effective date: October 2, 2009)
This Act provided important new tools to fight the threats to Canadians posed by organized crime. The Act made murders connected to organized crime activity automatically first-degree, created a new offence to address drive-by and other reckless shootings, and created two new offences of aggravated assault against a peace or public officer and assault with a weapon on a peace or public officer.
The Tackling Violent Crime Act (Bill C-2) (Effective dates: May 1 and July 2, 2008).
The Tackling Violent Crime Act strengthened the Criminal Code in the following five areas:
-- tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes;-- new bail provisions requiring those accused of serious gun crimes to show why they should not be kept in jail while awaiting trial;-- better protection for youth from adult sexual predators (by increasing the age of protection for sexual activity from 14 years to 16 years);-- more effective sentencing and monitoring to prevent dangerous, high-risk offenders from re-offending; and-- new ways to detect and investigate drug-impaired driving and stronger penalties for impaired driving.
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (street racing) and to make a consequential amendment to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (Bill C-19) (Effective date: December 14, 2006)
This legislation aimed to protect Canada's streets and communities from the harm caused by street racing by creating new offences that increase penalties, including mandatory driving prohibitions for repeat offenders.
VICTIMS
The Protecting Canada's Seniors Act (Bill C-36) (Effective date: January 13, 2013)
The Protecting Canada's Seniors Act better protects seniors by helping ensure tough sentences for those who take advantage of elderly Canadians. Evidence that an offence had a significant impact on the victims due to their age - and other personal circumstances such as their health or financial situation - must be considered an aggravating factor for sentencing purposes.
Citizen's Arrest and Self-defence Act (Bill C-26) (Royal Assent: June 28, 2012, effective date: pending)
Under this legislation, an owner, a person in lawful possession of property, or someone authorized by them will be allowed to arrest a person within a reasonable amount of time after having found that person committing a criminal offence either on their property (e.g. when the offence occurs in their yard) or in relation to their property (e.g. when their property is stolen from a public parking lot).
