28 articles
Canada's age of consent is 16 under Criminal Code s.150.1, with close in age exceptions and an extension to 18 for trust or dependency relationships under s.153.
How Canadian bail hearings work: the 24 hour rule, the ladder principle from R v Antic, s.11(e) of the Charter, and the 2026 reverse onus reforms.
A plain-language guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: legal rights in a police encounter, section 1 limits, section 24 remedies, and the notwithstanding clause.
Record suspensions, expungement, discharges, peace bonds, self-defence, citizen's arrest, record checks, and jury duty across Canada, explained plainly.
Canada's federal adult cannabis age is 18. See the ages set by Alberta, BC, Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec (up to 21) and where home growing is allowed.
Section 494 of the Criminal Code lets a private person arrest without a warrant in narrow situations. Learn the limits and why it is risky before acting.
Canadian employers need consent for a criminal record check, and the tier must match the role. See what human rights law protects and what applicants should disclose.
Canada has three tiers of criminal record check: name-based CPIC, judicial matters, and vulnerable sector. See what each reveals and who can require one.
There is no separate domestic violence offence in Canada. Learn how charges, peace bonds, protection orders, and the Crown's role in prosecution work.
Expungement destroys a Canadian record but only for a narrow list of unjust convictions. Most people searching expungement actually need a record suspension.
Pepper spray marketed for use on people is a prohibited weapon in Canada. Bear spray is legal when labelled and registered for animal use. Federal rules explained.
Canada's Criminal Code has no felony or misdemeanor categories. Offences are indictable, summary conviction, or hybrid. Here is how the classification, and the US border angle, actually works.
Canada has no general statute of limitations for indictable crimes. Summary offences have a 12-month deadline, and civil lawsuit deadlines vary by province.
Jury duty in Canada is set by provincial law. See how selection works, who is disqualified, what changed in 2019, and what jurors are paid by province.
Canada has no blade-length limit on knives. What actually makes a knife illegal is its design, plus carrying it for a dangerous purpose or concealed.
Canada's legal drinking age by province and territory: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, 19 elsewhere, and why it is not the same as the age of majority.
Canada has no Miranda warning. Charter section 10 guarantees the right to know why you were arrested and to retain counsel without delay. Here is how it actually works.
Ontario's PRCRA Schedule is an exhaustive disclosure whitelist, with a strict VSC-only non-conviction test, a 30-day reconsideration right, and two-stage written consent.
How to get a Possession and Acquisition Licence in Canada: eligibility, the CFSC course, the 28 day wait, fees, renewal, and who gets screened out.
A peace bond under Criminal Code s 810 is not a conviction. See how it works, what conditions a judge can order, and how it differs from a restraining order.
What Canada's Criminal Code and SOR/98-462 prohibit: brass knuckles, stun guns, spring batons, nunchaku, short crossbows and replica airsoft guns.
A Canadian record suspension now costs $50, cut from $657.77 in 2022. Learn eligibility waits, what it does and doesn't erase, and why US entry can still be refused.
What section 8 of the Charter protects, when police can search without a warrant, phone searches after arrest, texts on someone else's phone, and vehicle stops.
Canada has no stand your ground or castle doctrine. Self-defence turns on Criminal Code s 34, defence of property on s 35. Here is the current test.
How the Youth Criminal Justice Act works: who it covers, extrajudicial measures, when an adult sentence applies, and how long a youth record stays accessible.
Penalties for theft under $5,000 and mischief under the Criminal Code, and how the adult diversion scheme moved from s.717 to Part XXII.2 in 2026.
A Canadian record suspension does not bind US border officials. What to know about US entry waivers, the petty offence exception, and other countries.
A vulnerable sector check can flag a record-suspended sexual offence under Criminal Records Act s.6.3. How the flag works, who can require one, and why online brokers cannot issue one.