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Find other options on the <a href="/eng/contact/index.html">Contact Us</a> webpage. </p> </section> </div> <nav id="wb-bc" property="breadcrumb"> <h2>Breadcrumb trail</h2> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <ol class="breadcrumb"> <li><a href="/eng/index.html">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/eng/csj-sjc/index.html">Canada’s System of Justice</a></li> <li><a href="/eng/csj-sjc/ccc/index.html">The <em>Criminal Code</em> of Canada</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> </nav> </header> <main property="mainContentOfPage" typeof="WebPageElement" class="container" id="main-content"> <div class="main-content"> <img src="img/criminalcode-web-header.jpg" alt="" class="img-responsive w-100" /> <div id="s1" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <h1 id="wb-cont" property="name" class="text-pink">The <em>Criminal Code</em> of Canada</h1> <p>The <em>Criminal Code</em> is a federal law that includes definitions of most of the criminal offences that the Parliament of Canada has enacted. It is often updated as society evolves and to improve the Canadian criminal process.</p> <div class="row mt-5"> <div class="col-xs-6"> <p><img src="img/download-criminalcode-eng.jpg" alt="Download" class="img-responsive"></p> <p><strong>Infographic: The </strong><em><strong>Criminal Code</strong></em><strong> of Canada</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="infograph.html">Infographic: Text version</a></li> <li><a href="docs/Criminal Code Infographic_final_eng.pdf">Infographic: PDF version</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-xs-6"> <p><img src="img/explore-criminalcode-eng.jpg" alt="Additional Resources" class="img-responsive"></p> <p><strong>Additional Resources</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="/eng/laws-lois/index.html">How New Laws and Regulations are Created</a></li> <li><a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/" rel="external">Justice Laws website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/Home.aspx?ParliamentSession=43-2" rel="external">Parliament of Canada website</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s2" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-md-3"> <img src="img/1-code-criminalcode.png" alt="What is in the Criminal Code?"> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-9"> <h2>What is in the <em>Criminal Code</em>?</h2> <p>The <em>Criminal Code</em> includes a wide range of crimes, such as murder, assault, theft and fraud.</p> <h3>The <em>Criminal Code</em></h3> <ul> <li>defines the conduct that constitutes criminal offences;</li> <li>includes rules that set out how people can be guilty of crimes if they help or encourage others to commit crimes, and rules for how corporations and other organizations can be found guilty of crimes;</li> <li>sets out defences that a person can raise if they are charged; </li> <li>establishes the kind and degree of punishment that may be imposed on someone convicted of an offence; and</li> <li>describes the powers and procedures to be followed for investigation and prosecution of an offence.</li> </ul> <p>While the <em>Criminal Code</em> includes most of the criminal law in Canada, it doesn’t contain all of it. There are other federal laws that also contain criminal law but do not form part of the <em>Criminal Code,</em> such as the <em>Firearms Act</em>, the <em>Controlled Drugs and Substances Act,</em> and the <em>Youth Criminal Justice Act</em>. Some parts of the law are set out in court decisions, like some additional defences and definitions of some elements of crimes that are included in the <em>Code</em>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s3" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-md-3"> <img src="img/2-book-criminalcode2.png" alt="Why is it called a “Code”?"> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-9"> <h2>Why is it called a “Code”?</h2> <p>The <em>Criminal Code</em> is called a “code” because it “codifies” most of the criminal law in Canada in one place. In legal terms, codification is the process of collecting and restating the law in certain areas, usually by subject, forming a legal code such as a book. The <em>Criminal Code</em> is also known by its official, longer title, <em>An Act respecting the Criminal Law</em>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s4" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-md-3"> <img src="img/3-canada-criminalcode-2.png" alt="Where does the Criminal Code apply?"> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-9"> <h2>Where does the <em>Criminal Code</em> apply?</h2> <p>Criminal law exists to help maintain public safety, security, peace and order in society. In Canada, the responsibility for criminal justice is shared between the federal government and the provincial and territorial governments.</p> <p>Canada’s constitution gives the federal Parliament the power to make criminal laws and as a result, criminal law applies across the country.</p> <p>The provinces and territories are primarily responsible for enforcing the criminal law. This includes investigating and prosecuting most offences, and providing services and assistance to victims of crime.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s5" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-md-3"> <img src="img/4-1892-criminalcode.png" alt="When was the Criminal Code made?"> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-9"> <h2>When was the <em>Criminal Code</em> made?</h2> <p>The <em>Criminal Code</em> was made law in 1892 by the Parliament of Canada in accordance with section 91(27) of the <em>Constitution Act</em>, <em>1867</em>, which gives the federal government the power to make criminal laws in Canada.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s6" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-md-3"> <img src="img/5-update-criminalcode.png" alt="How often is the Criminal Code updated?"> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-9"> <h2>How often is the <em>Criminal Code</em> updated?</h2> <p>While the <em>Criminal Code</em> became law over one hundred years ago, updates to the Code are made regularly, including to reflect changes in society. New criminal law bills are considered and approved by the Parliament of Canada. Some recent examples can be found <a href="/eng/csj-sjc/pl/index.html">here</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s7" class="py-5"> <div class="container my-5"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-12 col-md-3"> <img src="img/6-download-criminalcode.png" alt="Where can I find a copy of the latest Criminal Code?"> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-9"> <h2>Where can I find a copy of the latest <em>Criminal Code</em>?</h2> <ul> <li>the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/index.html" rel="external">HTML online version can be viewed here</a></li> <li>a <a href="braille.html">Braille ready version (BRF format) can be accessed here</a></li> <li>a <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/C-46.pdf" rel="external">print version (PDF format) can be downloaded here</a></li> <li>an <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/XML/C-46.xml" rel="external">XML version can be found here</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> <div 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