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Hey, Canadians! Do you know your rights? Or are you more familiar with the rights of Americans? Media and pop culture may give us the impression that we know the laws and rights that regulate the world around us, but our understanding of the regulatory and governing bodies in Canada might be assumptions from what we know about The US. Join Karen and Alex as we sort through Canadian laws, regulations and rights, and review real Canadian cases that reference or even influence the law in question. We’re not Un-American, we’re just not American.
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Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
Karen and Alex discuss the current firearms laws in Canada and how they have changed over time. Then we look at some cases that took place within Canada that were affected by or helped initiate our gun laws.
Cases Discussed:
School Shootings in Canada, 1975-2013 |
École Polytechnique Massacre, Québec 1989 |
Parliament Hill Shooting, Ontario 2014 |
Nova Scotia Spree Killer, Nova Scotia 2020
Sources
RCMP History of Firearms in Canada https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/history-firearms-canada
Trends in firearm-related violent crime in Canada, 2009 to 2020. Stats Canada https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2022001/article/00009-eng.htm
Other Countries Had Mass Shootings. Then They Changed Their Gun Laws. New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/world/europe/gun-laws-australia-britain.html
School Shootings by Country 2025. World Population Review https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/school-shootings-by-country
Taking action to reduce gun violence. Government of Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/firearms.html
Harper Government delivers on promise to abolish the long-gun registry. Government of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2012/04/harper-government-delivers-promise-abolish-long-gun-registry.html
École Polytechnique massacre. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89cole_Polytechnique_massacre
Marking 35 years since the L’École Polytechnique Massacre. Public Service Alliance of Canada https://psacunion.ca/marking-35-years-lecole-polytechnique-massacre
‘Hate is infectious’: how the 1989 mass shooting of 14 women echoes today. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/04/mass-shooting-1989-montreal-14-women-killed
Nova Scotia Shooting Incident – Timeline. Public Safety Canada https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200730/021/index-en.aspx
2020 Nova Scotia attacks. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Nova_Scotia_attacks
Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry heavily criticizes police response. BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65107912
2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_shootings_at_Parliament_Hill,_Ottawa
Parliament Hill Attack. The Canadian Encyclopedia https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/parliament-hill-attack
Taber Shootings. The Canadian Encyclopedia https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/taber-shootings
School shootings in Canada. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:School_shootings_in_Canada
Brampton High School Shootings. Canadian True Crime Podcast https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/146
Shell Lake murders. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Lake_murders\
A list of some past Canadian school shootings. Global News https://globalnews.ca/news/8621977/list-canadian-school-shootings/
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns https://www.doctorsforprotectionfromguns.ca/#/
Charting gun violence in the United States. CBC
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/gun-violence-charts-us-1.6847911
Ontario Court Confirms No Right to Bear Arms in Canada; Supreme Court Will Not Hear Appeal. Constitutional Studies https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2010/10/ontario-court-confirms-no-right-to-bear-arms-in-canada-supreme-court-will-not-hear-appeal/?print=print
Friday May 23, 2025
Friday May 23, 2025
Episode Description:
Karen and Alex discuss how Double Jeopardy laws are applied in Canada, and how they differ from those in the US. We review four different cases and how double jeopardy laws played a role in their outcomes.
Cases Discussed:
Richard Leonard Walker | Edmonton, 2013 Daniel Hodgson | Iqaluit, Nunavut, 2017 Colin Tweedie | Victoria County, NS, 2019 Guy Paul Morin | Queensville, Ontario, 1984
Sources:
IMDB: Double Jeopardy https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150377/plotsummary/
Wyman & Williamson | Criminal Defense Lawyers: Can I Be Tried Twice For The Same Crime In Canada? https://albertalegal.ca/can-i-be-tried-twice-for-the-same-crime-in-canada/
USA Double Jeopardy Laws Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Jeopardy_Clause
Overview of (American) Double Jeopardy Clauses https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt5-3-1/ALDE_00000858/
British Columbia Prosecution Service Crown Counsel Policy Manual, Policy: Appeals by Crown to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada (Effective Date: March 1, 2018) https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/criminal-justice/prosecution-service/crown-counsel-policy-manual/app-1.pdf
Appeals and Interventions in the Provinces and Territories https://www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca/eng/pub/fpsd-sfpg/fps-sfp/tpd/p3/ch15.html
Where Can You Appeal Your Conviction? Kruse Law https://www.kruselaw.ca/library/when-can-you-appeal-a-conviction-kruse-law/
Canadian Encyclopedia: Guy Paul Morin https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guy-paul-morin-case
Nunavut Judge Made 'No Error of Law' in Murder Acquittal, Supreme Court of Canada Says. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-judge-no-error-supreme-court-canada-1.7261726
Appeal Court Upholds Decision that Saw Accused Killer Acquitted. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/killer-trial-evidence-police-delay-1.7125935
A Judge Found an Edmonton Man Acted in Self-Defense When he Punched a Police Officer. Alberta's Top Court Just Overturned the Ruling https://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/edmonton-police-officer-punched-mcdonalds-appeal
Appeal Court says Judge Who Acquitted N.S. Man in Hit-and-Run Death “Committed Errors of Law” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/colin-hugh-tweedie-nova-scotia-court-of-appeal-decision-talia-forrest-1.6753357
Colin Tweedie Resentenced https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/colin-tweedie-sentenced-to-45-years-in-hit-and-run-death-of-talia-forrest-in-cape-breton-100982518
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/colin-hugh-tweedie-nova-scotia-court-of-appeal-decision-talia-forrest-1.6753357
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Tuesday May 20, 2025