Applications for Ministerial Review – Miscarriages of Justice: Annual Report 2004 Minister of Justice

Abstract

It is my pleasure to submit to Parliament the second annual report of the Minister of Justice regarding applications for ministerial review (miscarriages of justice) under Part XXI.1 of the Criminal Code. Canadians can be rightfully proud and confident that they have one of the best criminal justice systems in the world. Our system includes many safeguards to ensure that an accused person receives a fair trial, from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to a comprehensive and effective system of appellate review of criminal convictions. Nevertheless, as the Supreme Court of Canada recently noted in United States of America v. Burns, continuing disclosures of miscarriages of justice in Canada and lsewhere “provide tragic testimony to the fallibility of the legal system, despite its elaborate safeguards for the protection of the innocent.”