REFORMING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

    The federal government is expected to introduce legislation this week to curtail the use of preliminary inquiries in criminal proceedings, as part of an attempt to speed up Canada’s plodding justice system and avoid charges being dismissed because of delays.
    The government will also attempt to cut down on the thousands of Canadians each year who clog up the courts over violations of their bail-release conditions, according to a source who was briefed on the proposed changes. In addition, it will seek to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples and other racial minorities being denied bail and winding up in custody while awaiting trial, The Globe and Mail has learned.
   The long-promised legislation comes in response to a Supreme Court ruling in the summer of 2016, which set new time limits for criminal proceedings. The court said criminal justice suffers from a culture of complacency and delay.