The Criminal Code is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is An Act respecting the Criminal Law (French: Loi concernant le droit criminel), and it is sometimes abbreviated as Cr.C. (French: C.Cr.) in legal reports. Section 91(27) of the Constitution Act, 1867 establishes that the Parliament of Canada has sole jurisdiction over criminal law. The Criminal Code contains some defences, but most are part of the common law rather than statute. Important Canadian criminal laws not forming part of the code include the Firearms Act, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Canada Evidence Act, the Food and Drugs Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Contraventions Act. One of the conveniences of the Criminal Code was that it constituted the principle that no person could be convicted of a crime unless otherwise specifically outlined and stated in a statute. This legal document has played a major part in Canada's history and has also helped form other legal acts and laws, for example, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Structure

History and evolution

The Criminal Code stems from a long history of legal documents. The following documents play a part in the construction and changes brought on the Criminal Code: