Legal Research

Hopeless

By Shaunna Mireau

On November 25, 2009 Bill C-36, An act to amend the Criminal Code, otherwise known as Serious Time for the Most Serious Crime Act passed 3rd reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 187 to 69.

The bill amends provisions in the Criminal Code regarding the right of persons convicted of murder or high treason to apply for early parole through the elimination of the “faint hope” clause. Using the new ability to link to a section of the Criminal Code, here is the current legislation.

One definition of hope is “to desire with expectation of obtainment”. Having, thankfully, never been personally touched by murder or treason, I find myself with conflicted feelings regarding this legislative change. On one hand, I empathize with families of victims and feelings of justice for the loss of a loved one. I also recognize arguments against this change. There is an excellent legislative summary with commentary that describes the debate.

One interesting item that came to light while looking into this topic is a site called TweetCommons. A few MPs have discussed the bill in tweets. TweetCommons provides search functionality.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on November 26, 2009 (boomark / email).