Author: Canada. Office of the Commissioner of Official LanguagesPublisher: The Commissioner
ISBN: 9780662239383
Category : Bilingualism
Languages : en
Pages : 107
Book Description
This report begins with an overview of the constitutional background on the use of English and French in the Canadian court system, including federal and provincial courts, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the respective constitutional powers of the federal and provincial governments which allow for legislative and policy initiatives that supplement entrenched language rights. It then reviews language use in courts of criminal jurisdiction, including amendments made to the Criminal Code which recognise the right of accused persons to be tried in either English or French; the scope of Criminal Code provisions; guidelines and policies on the manner in which language rights of the accused are recognised and respected; and language use in the provincial courts, noting the considerable differences among provinces in minority language use in criminal proceedings. Finally, the report considers courts of civil jurisdiction, including federally and provincially constituted courts, again noting differences in minority language use among the provinces. The report concludes with recommendations regarding language rights in the courts.