Canadian criminal defendants could soon be facing the prospect of unidentified witnesses as well as their spouses testifying against them at trial if the Conservative government’s “Victims Bill of Rights” is passed.

Currently under consideration in the House of Commons, the proposed legislation known as Bill C-32 includes provisions that seem less about victims’ rights and more about changing long-standing rules of evidence that protect the rights of the accused. While most of the bill does in fact focus on providing crime victims with additional rights such as providing them with more case information regarding perpetrators or making it easier for vulnerable witnesses to testify, two suggested changes to the Criminal Code and the Canada Evidence Act contained in the bill seem wholly unrelated to “victims’ rights”. Continue reading →