Canadian Criminal Law and Procedure (Law 525.001)

Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia

Course Syllabus FALL 2017

Instructor: Robert Russo, LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D.

Email: robert.russo@alumni.ubc.ca

Classroom & times: Allard Hall, Room 121

Tuesdays 6-8:30pm

Thursdays 6-8:30pm

Course Objectives and Description:

The primary objective of this course is to provide students with a firm grounding in the

fundamentals of Canadian criminal law, both substantive and procedural, as preparation for

practice. The course will examine the role of counsel, how a prosecution unfolds, and the core

legislation and common law relevant to each stage. Students will learn to identify the elements of

a criminal offence and common defences, and burdens and presumptions relevant to their

application. Students will also explore how courts apply the Canadian Charter of Rights and

Freedoms to strike down law, exclude evidence, or provide for other remedies.

Required Text:

Roach, Berger, Cunliffe, and Stribopoulos, Criminal Law and Procedure: Cases and Materials

(11th ed., 2015). [“RBCS”]

Optional Texts:

Kent Roach, Criminal Law, (5th ed. 2012)

Steve Coughlan, Criminal Procedure (3rd ed., 2016)

Assessments and Evaluations:

Midterm Exam (week 6): 35% of final grade Final Exam (December): 65% of final grade

2

Schedule of Topics and Readings:

Thursday, September 7: Intro and Basic Overview of Canadian Criminal Law

Overview of course materials; basic overview of Canadian criminal law, relationship of common

law, constitution, and courts

Week 2: Structure, Sources, and Interpretation of Canadian Criminal Law

Tuesday. September 12: Sources and Codification

RBCS: pages 1-17

• Sections 52 the Constitution Act, 1982; 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867

• Switzman v. Elbling, [1957] SCR 285

• R. v. Morgentaler, [1993] 3 SCR 463

• Reference re Firearms Act (Canada), [2000] 1 SCR 783

Brief overview of:

Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, S.C. 1996, c. 19

Canada Evidence Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-5

Youth Criminal Justice Act, S.C. 2002, c. 1

• Sections 1, 7-15, 24, and 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• Canada (Attorney General) v Bedford, 2013 SCC 72 [headnote]

Thursday, September 14: Classification and interpretation

RBCS: pages 17-31 and 43-49

• Sections 8 and 9 of the Criminal Code of Canada [Criminal Code]

• Amato v. The Queen, [1982] 2 SCR 418 • Frey v. Fedoruk, [1950] SCR 517

• R. v. Jobidon, [1991] 2 SCR 714

Rules of statutory interpretation: strict construction vs. purposive interpretation

• R. v. Paré, [1987] 2 S.C.R. 618

• Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership v. Rex, et al., [2002] 2 S.C.R. 554

3

Week 3: Introduction to the Prosecution Process

Tuesday, September 19: The role of counsel and the adversarial process

RBCS: 271-278, 287-292, 313-321, 325-326

Role of Crown and defence counsel

• Sections 3.3 and 5.1 from Federation of Law Societies of Canada, Model Code of

Professional Conduct:

http://flsc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Model-Code-as-amended-march-2016-

FINAL.pdf

• Boucher v. The Queen, [1954] SCR 16

• R. v. Anderson, 2014 SCC 41

Neutral and impartial trier of fact

• R. v. Gunning, [2005] 1 S.C.R 627 [headnote]

• R. v. Hamilton, [2004] O.J. No. 3252 (Ont. C.A.) [headnote]

Presumption of innocence and ultimate standard of proof

• Woolmington v. D.P.P., [1935] A.C. 462

• R. v. Lifchus, [1997] 3 S.C.R. 320

Other burdens

• R. v. Oakes, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 103

Thursday, September 21: Arrest, detention, and stages of a prosecution

Overview of the stages of a prosecution

• Report to Crown counsel

• Charge approval, arraignment, waiver.

General police powers, statutory authority for arrest and search:

RBCS: 208-223

• Criminal Code sections 184 to 186, 487, 493-495

• Cloutier v Langlois, [1990] 1 SCR 158

• R. v. Golden, 2001 SCC 83

• R. v. Caslake, [1998] 1 SCR 51

4

Week 4: Ancillary Police Powers and the Charter

Tuesday, September 26: Section 9 and ‘investigative detention’

RBCS: 193-208

• R. v. Grant, 2009 SCC 32

• R. v. Mann, 2004 SCC 52

• R. v. Clayton, 2007 SCC 32 [headnote]

• R. v. Suberu, 2009 SCC 33 [headnote]

• R. v. Aucoin, 2012 SCC 66 [headnote]

Thursday, September 28: Section 8 and ‘reasonable search’

RBCS: 173-193

• Hunter et al. v. Southam Inc., [1984] 2 SCR 145

• R. v. Wong, [1990] 3 SCR 36

• R. v. Edwards, [1996] 1 SCR 128 [headnote]

• R. v. Cole, 2012 SCC 53 [headnote]

• R. v. Spencer, 2014 SCC 43

• R. v. MacDonald, 2014 SCC [headnote]

Week 5: Charter continued; Bail and Pretrial matters

Tuesday, October 3: Sections 7 and 10 and the right to counsel and to silence

RBCS: 130-159

Right to counsel:

• R. v Manninen, [1987] 1 SCR 1233

• R. v. Brydges, [1990] 1 SCR 190

• R. v. Prosper, [1994] 3 SCR 236

• R. v. Sinclair, 2010 SCC 310

Right to silence:

• R. v. Hebert, [1990] 2 SCR 151

• R. v. Singh, 2007 SCC 48

Common law confessions rule:

• R. v. Oickle, 2000 SCC 38

5

Thursday, October 5: Bail and Pretrial matters

RBSC: 281-283, 304-313

Bail

• Criminal Code sections 515(10), 519, 520, 522, 524

• R. v. St-Cloud, 2015 SCC 27 (headnote & p 303 of RBSC)

Pretrial:

• R. v. Stinchcombe, [1991] 3 S.C.R. 326

• Alternative measures

• Negotiations and arrangement court (Crown policy manual)

• Elections

• Preliminary hearings

Jury trials

• R. v. Turpin [1989] 1 S.C.R. 1296

• R. v. Kokopenace, 2015 SCC 28

• R. v. Parks, (1993), 84 CCC (3d) 353

• R. v. Williams, 1998 1 S.C.R. 1128

Week 6: Midterm

Tuesday, October 10: No Class – Study for Midterm

Thursday October 12: Midterm examination

6

Week 7: Actus Reus

Tuesday, October 17: Actus reus

Part I: Voluntariness and contemporaneity

RBCS: 333-39 and 395-405

• R. v. Larsonneur, (1933) 24 Cr App R 74

• Kilbride v. Lake, [1962] NZLR 590

• R. v. King, [1962] SCR 746

• R. v. Ruzic, [2001] 1 SCR 687

• Fagan v. Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, [1969] 1 QB 439

• R. v. Miller, [1982] 2 All ER 386

• R. v. Cooper, [1993] 1 SCR 146

• R. v. Williams [2003] SCC 41

Part II: Act and omissions

RBCS: 339–354

• R. v. Browne, (1997) 116 CCC (3d) 183

• R. v. Thornton, (1991), 3 CR (4th) 381

Thursday October 19: Actus reus continued

Part III: Consequences and causation

RBCS: 359-394

• R. v. Winning (1973), 12 CCC (2d) 449

• Smithers v. The Queen, [1978] 1 SCR 506

• R. v. Harbottle, [1993] 3 SCR 306

• R. v. Nette, [2001] 3 SCR 488

• R. v Maybin, 2012 SCC 24

Part IV: Consent

Criminal Code, section 265(3)

• R. v. J.A., 2011 SCC 28 [headnote]

• R. v. Mabior, 2012 SCC 47 [headnote]

7

Week 8: Mens Rea

Tuesday, October 24th: Subjective and objective mens rea

• Overview of Mens Rea

Part I: Intention, knowledge, willful blindness, and recklessness

RBCS: 445–472

• R. v. ADH, 2013 SCC 28

• R. v. Buzzanga and Durocher (1979), 49 CCC (2d) 369 [2 different excerpts]

• R. v. Tennant and Naccarato (1975), 23 CCC (2d) 80

• R. v. Steane, [1947] 1 KB 997

• R. v. Hibbert, [1995] 2 SCR 973

• R v. Théroux, [1993] 2 SCR 5

• R. v. Briscoe, 2010 SCC 13

• R. v. Sansregret, [1985] 1 SCR 570

Part II: Objective knowledge, criminal and penal negligence

RBCS: 472-492

• R. v. Hundal, [1993] 1 SCR 867

• R. v. Creighton, [1993] 3 SCR 3

• R. v. Beatty, 2008 SCC 5

• R. v Roy, 2010 SCC 26

Thursday October 26: mens rea continued Part III: Constitutional considerations

RBCS: 492-499; headnotes of

• R. v. Finta, [1994] 1 S.C.R. 701

• R. v. Martineau, [1990] 2 SCR 633 [headnote]

• R. v DeSouza, [1992] 2 SCR 944 [headnote]

Part IV: Strict and absolute liability

RBCS: 407-443

• Beaver v. The Queen, [1957] SCR 531

• R. v. Pierce Fisheries Ltd., [1971] SCR 5

• R. v. Sault Ste. Marie, [1978] 2 SCR 1299

• Reference re Section 94(2) of the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act, [1985] 2 SCR 486

• R. v. Wholesale Travel Group Inc., [1991] 3 SCR 154

8

Week 9: Extensions of criminal liability

Tuesday, October 31 Parties, Counseling, and Accessory After the Fact

RBCS: 525-530, 536-560, 566-570

Sections 21(1) and (2), 22, 23, and 464 of the Criminal Code

• R. v. Thatcher, [1987] 1 SCR 652

• R. v. Greyeyes, [1997] 2 S.C.R. 825

• R. v. Briscoe, [2010] 1 SCR 411

• Dunlop v. Sylvester v. The Queen, [1979] 2 SCR 881

• R. v. Kirkness, [1990] 3 SCR 74

• R. v. Gauthier, 2013 SCC 32

• R. v. Duong (1988), 124 CCC (3d) 392 (OCA)

Thursday November 2: Attempts and Conspiracies

RBCS: 571-588 and 595-600

Sections 24 and 465 of the Criminal Code

• R. v. Cline (1956), 115 CCC 18 • Deutsch v. The Queen, [1986] 2 SCR 2

• R. v. Ancio, [1984] 1 SCR 225

• R. v. Logan, [1990] 2 SCR 731

• United States of America v. Dynar, [1997] 2 SCR 462

Week 10: Homicide and Defences

Tuesday, November 7: Homicide

RBCS 693-698, 700-703, 726-737

Sections 222, 224, 226, 229, 231, 234, 235 of the Criminal Code

• R v Creighton, [1993] 3 SCR 3

• R v. Cooper, [1993] 1 SCR 146

• R v. More, [1963] SCR 522

• R v. Collins (1989), 48 CCC (3d) 343

• R v. Russell, 2001 SCC 53

9

Thursday, November 9: Provocation and Self-Defence Provocation:

RBCS: 749-768

Criminal Code section 232

• R. v. Hill, [1986] 1 SCR 313

• R. v. Thibert, [1996] 1 SCR 37

• R. v. Tran, 2010 SCC 58 [headnote]

• R. v. Mayuran, 2012 SCC 31 [headnote]

Self Defence:

RBCS: 883-916

Criminal Code section 34

• R. v. Cinous, 2002 SCC 29

• R. v. Lavallee, [1990] 1 SCR 852

• R. v.Pétel, [1994] 1 SCR 3

Week 11: Defences cont’d

Tuesday, November 14th: Mental Disorder and Automatism Mental Disorder

RBCS: 791-800, 804-813, 831-845:

Criminal Code sections 2 and 16

• R. v. Whittle [1994] 2 SCR 914

• R. v. Swain, [1991] 1 SCR 933

• R. v. Chaulk, [1990] 3 SCR 1303

• R. v. Oommen, [1994] 2 SCR 507

• Cooper v. The Queen, [1980] 1 SCR 1149

• R. v. Bouchard-Lebrun, 2011 SCC 58

Automatism:

• R v Rabey, SCC 1980 [headnote]

• R. v. Parks, [1992] 2 SCR 871

• R. v. Stone, [1999] 2 SCR 290

10

Thursday Nov 16: Intoxication, Duress, Necessity

RBCS: 849-876, 932-938, 953-958, 966-981

• Criminal Code section 33.1

• DDP v Beard, [1920] AC 479

• R. v. George, [1960] SCR 871

• R. v. Bernard, [1988] 2 SCR 833

• R. v. Daviault, [1994] 3 SCR 63

• R. v. King, [1962] SCR 746

Duress:

• R. v. Ruzic, 2001 SCC 24

• R. v. Hibbert, [1995] 2 SCR 973

Necessity:

• Perka v. The Queen, [1984] 2 SCR 232

• R. v. Latimer, 2001 SCC 1

Week 12: Sentencing, Indigenous People and Criminal Justice System

Tuesday, November 21: Overview of sentencing & indigenous offenders

RBCS: 1009-1035

Criminal Code sections 718, 718.01, 718.1, 718.2, 718.3, 719, 742

General principles and process of sentencing

Jail and conditional sentences of imprisonment; fines and probation

Discharges, absolute and conditional

Recognizance Orders – s. 810

Victim surcharges, DNA orders and weapons prohibitions

R v. M. (C.A.), [1996] 1 S.C.R. 500

R. v. Ferguson, 2008 SCC 6

R. v. Nur, 2015 SCC 15

R. v. Pham, 2013 SCC 15

R. v. Gladue, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688

R. v. Smith, [1987] 1 S.C.R. 1045

R. v. Latimer, [2001] SCC 1

11

Thursday, November 23: Wrongful convictions, court dynamics and racism

RBCS: 223-230; 237-261

R v Marshall (Two decisions, trial and appeal)

Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice and Aboriginal People

ME Turpel, “On the Question of Adapting the Canadian Criminal Justice System for

Aboriginal Peoples: Don’t Fence Me In”

Week 13: Appeals

Tuesday, November 28: Overview of appeals

Criminal Code sections 675, 676, 679, 686, 687,

• Palmer v. The Queen, [1980] 1 SCR 759 [headnote]

• Housen v Nikolaisen, 2002 SCC 33 [headnote]

• R. v. Walker, 2008 SCC 34 [headnote]

• R v R.E.M., 2008 SCC 51 [headnote]

Thursday, November 30: Final exam review