Plea Bargains

APPEAL WATCH: When Are Acquittals Appropriate on Appeal?

In R v Bouvette, 2023 BCCA 152 [Bouvette] the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (BCCA) set aside a guilty plea and ordered a stay of proceedings where the Crown failed to disclose material documents to the defence. In doing so, they adopted a strict version of the test for when an acquittal is an […]

What is the Anthony-Cook “Public Interest Standard”? A New Canada-Wide Standard for Joint Submissions on Sentencing

  Introduction  In R v Anthony-Cook, 2016 SCC 43, the Supreme Court of Canada adopted the “public interest” standard that trial judges across Canada are to employ to asses a joint submission on sentencing. While the case seeks to provide greater clarity for courts, prosecutors, accused persons, and their counsel, understanding the standard and what […]