Bill C-75 is the long-awaited legislation to deal with chronic court delays. Police evidenceThe bill as written would allow for “routine police evidence” to be provided at trial by written affidavit rather than oral testimony. But critics argue that the definition of “routine” evidence could encompass nearly everything, and that cross-examination of police evidence is crucial for a fair trial. Jury diversityPeremptory challenges, which allow prosecutors and defence lawyers to reject jurors on sight, sparked widespread outrage following the Gerald Stanley/Coulten Boushie trial. Bill C-75 scraps peremptory challenges, but defence lawyers argue they frequently use them to get more jury diversity in cases where a person of colour has been charged.

Source: National Post October 01, 2018 10:01 UTC