Attorney general’s statement on updated Crown counsel policy

VICTORIA - Niki Sharma, Attorney General, has released the following statement regarding the BC Prosecution Service announcing updates to its Crown Counsel Policy Manual, in response to federal Criminal Code amendments:

"I welcome the BC Prosecution Service's updates to its Crown Counsel Policy Manual, which provides prosecutors with guidance on significant Criminal Code reforms coming into force this week.

"Our government worked closely with Ottawa to secure many of these federal reforms, which strengthen public safety, enhance protections for victims and help hold repeat offenders accountable. They include changes to bail and sentencing laws, new measures to address intimate partner violence and gender-based violence, and stronger protections for victims of sexual offences.

"Crown counsel play a pivotal role in criminal legal proceedings in the province and upholding our justice system. These policy updates, independently drafted by the BC Prosecution Service, will help ensure B.C.'s prosecutors have clear guidance to effectively apply the new laws. The changes also support recommendations from Dr. Kim Stanton's review of how intimate partner and sexual violence cases are treated in British Columbia's legal system.

"I commend the BC Prosecution Service for acting to ensure our legal system more accurately reflects people's everyday reality, experiences and concerns. At the provincial level, we continue to implement the Stanton report's recommendations to strengthen how our justice system responds to intimate-partner violence, while expanding access to justice.

"Together, we are building a more responsive, compassionate and empathetic justice system that people can trust and rely on to help them."

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