The Origin of the Criminal Code
In 1892, Sir John Thompson, the Minister of Justice of Canada, introduced the "Criminal Code Bill." This bill was based on the 1880 English Draft Code. The bill was subsequently approved and officially enacted. The purpose of this act was to establish regulations for the majority of Canada's criminal laws. At that time, criminal law included the Criminal Code, various federal legislations, and common law retained by the provinces.
The New Criminal Code
The Royal Commission on the Revision of the Criminal Code, established in 1947, proposed a new Criminal Code in 1954. Most of the criminal law was not included in the new Criminal Code (such as the law of evidence, drug control laws, etc.). The new Criminal Code mainly established basic principles and specifically formulated provisions regarding offenses against public order, offenses against the person, sexual and moral offenses, property offenses, fraudulent transactions, and conspiracy. Another part concerns procedures and sentencing. Over the following forty years, many new amendments were introduced, covering issues including obscenity, genocide, public incitement of hatred, invasion of privacy, wiretapping, hijacking and endangering aircraft safety, gambling and lotteries, impaired driving, child abduction, and sexual assault.