Law Times

Law Times • June 4, 2018 Page 3 www.lawtimesnews.com Bill aims to change way white-collar crime punished BY DALE SMITH For Law Times B ill C-74, the omnibus budget implementation bill, contains provisions that propose to amend the Criminal Code to add a new system of remediation that can be triggered prior to a trial for corporations accused of of- fences such as bribery of public officials, frauds on government, municipal corruption, prohib- ited insider trading or false pro- spectus. The bill includes provisions that deal with how white-collar crime that takes place in the ju- risdiction of Canadian courts is prosecuted and proposes a system of remediation that can ensure that corporate offend- ers avoid conviction if they co- operate with the Crown and the courts. Opposition MPs in the House of Commons have likened the proposed changes to being "soft" on white-collar crime as it allows corporations to "avoid jail time," but lawyers in the field dispute that assertion. Lawyers say the proposed changes could promote good corporate citizenship and bring Canada into line with other ju- risdictions. However, they say they have concerns about how these proposals will dovetail with other anti-corruption leg- islation. Patrick McCann, counsel with Fasken Martineau Du- Moulin LLP in Ottawa, says the proposed legislation will bring Canada in line with many other countries that have deferred prosecution agreements, includ- ing the U.S., the U.K. and most other European countries. "It addresses the unfair- ness of the situation when you have a large company that has a rogue senior officer — and the definition of senior officer in the Criminal Code is extremely broad — who has bribed some- body to get something done and the whole company takes a hit," says McCann. "It impacts investors, all of whom are completely innocent," says McCann. "That's perceived as being a very unfair repercus- sion for charging a company with criminal offences that are actually committed by one indi- vidual without the knowledge of the rest of management." Danielle Royal, partner with Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toron- to, says that, when companies are facing potential criminal ex- posure, "having this as an option provides greater f lexibility when you're advising clients about po- tential outcomes." The proposals in the bill, which is still before the House of Commons, would apply to any organization or corpora- tion — with the exception of public bodies, trade unions and municipalities — that is being prosecuted in Canada under the Criminal Code or the Corrup- tion of Foreign Public Officials Act. The underlying offences would have to be committed in a Canadian jurisdiction. Existing penalties for the crimes targeted by the bill can include signifi- cant fines and restitution orders and probation for the organiza- tion. Royal says the bill could help in situations where the corpo- rate misfeasance was years ago and current shareholders are be- ing punished for something that happened before their time. Brian Weingarten, a sole practitioner in Toronto, says this process accelerates restitution to victims in cases where it's appli- cable. "I would caution that it's not truly revolutionary in that the Criminal Code, under the pro- bation section, provides for a mechanism to provide restitu- tion to victims, and it allows for some degree of monitoring over organizations that are convicted for any offence under the Crimi- nal Code," says Weingarten. He says the major difference is that this ensures that trial and conviction can be avoided, which may be advantageous to companies, not only saving the resources of a trial but avoiding triggering other anti-corruption legislation. "If an organization is con- victed, they may be restricted in their ability to bid for con- tracts or continue to work for the government or be eligible to contract with other entities, so that's certainly a problem," says Weingarten. Royal says the possibility of this kind of debarment currently means that a company may opt to fight charges at trial instead of co-operate, which is why this legislation helps. McCann notes that the pro- posed process only begins after charges are laid against a com- pany, and while successful re- mediation includes a presump- tion that charges were never laid, this may create awkward situations where a company post-remediation is bidding on a major contract and gets asked whether it has ever been charged with a criminal offence. Weingarten adds that for the government, the remediation process ensures that restitution is funnelled back to victims very quickly. The bill specifies a strict timeline of one year, so that if the deal falls apart within the year and a trial resumes, the timelines won't fall under the Supreme Court of Canada's Jor- dan principles. "It looks as though every- thing is going to have to be done to the court and prosecution's satisfaction before the expiry of the one-year stay," says Wein- garten. "It really does accelerate payments [and] forces the orga- nization to work quickly to try to correct the problems to the satisfaction of the Crown and the court." Justice Minister Jody Wilson- Raybould did not respond to a request for comment. LT NEWS THREE JUDICIAL VACANCIES ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE TORONTO The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee advises the Attorney General of Ontario on the appointment of Judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and invites applications for three judicial positions in Toronto. These appointments involve presiding over criminal law matters and also involve travel within the regional boundaries as assigned by the Regional Senior Justice and/or the Chief Justice. The minimum requirement to apply to be a Judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is ten years completed membership as a barrister and solicitor at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada. All candidates must apply either by submitting 14 copies of the current (July 2017) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form in the first instance or by a short letter (14 copies) if the form has been submitted within the previous 12 months. Should you wish to change any information in your application, you must send in 14 copies of a fully revised Judicial Candidate Information Form. If you wish to apply and need a current Judicial Candidate Information Form, or if you would like further information, please contact: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee Tel: (416) 326-4060 Fax: (416) 212-7316 Website: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/ All applications, either sent by courier, mail or hand delivery, must be sent to: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee c/o Ministry of Government Services Mail Delivery 77 Wellesley Street West, Room M2B-88 Macdonald Block, Queen's Park Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1N3 Applications must be on the current prescribed form and must be TYPEWRITTEN or COMPUTER GENERATED and RECEIVED BY 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 22, 2018. CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 14 COPIES OF THEIR APPLICATION FORM OR LETTER. A Fax copy will be accepted only if 14 copies of the application or letter are sent concurrently by overnight courier. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered. The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reasonably reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality- seeking groups are encouraged. TROIS POSTES À POURVOIR AU SEIN DE LA MAGISTRATURE COUR DE JUSTICE DE L'ONTARIO TORONTO Le Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature conseille le Procureur général de l'Ontario sur les nominations de juges à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario et invite les personnes intéressées à présenter leur demande aux trois postes de juge à Toronto. Ces nominations consistent à présider des causes criminelles et nécessitent également des déplacements à l'intérieur des limites régionales, selon les assignations du juge principal régional ou du juge en chef. Pour pouvoir poser sa candidature à un poste de juge à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario, il faut, comme condition minimale, avoir été inscrit comme avocat-plaidant et procureur au barreau de l'une des provinces ou de l'un des territoires du Canada pendant au moins dix ans. Tous les candidats et candidates doivent poser leur candidature soit, dans le premier cas, en présentant le Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant (juillet 2017), soit en envoyant une courte lettre (en 14 exemplaires) si le formulaire a été présenté au cours des 12 mois précédents. En cas de changements à apporter à un formulaire déjà envoyé, le candidat ou la candidate doit envoyer à nouveau 14 exemplaires du formulaire de renseignements corrigé. Si vous voulez poser votre candidature et que vous avez besoin d'un Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant, ou encore si vous souhaitez obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature Téléphone : (416) 326-4060 Télécopieur : (416) 212-7316 Site Web : www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/jaac/ Toutes les demandes envoyées par service de messagerie, par la poste ou en main propre doivent être soumises à l'adresse suivante : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature a/s Ministère des Services gouvernementaux - Services de distribution du courrier 77, rue Wellesley Ouest, salle M2B-88 Édifice Macdonald, Queen's Park Toronto (Ontario) M7A 1N3 Les demandes de candidature doivent être déposées par l'entremise du formulaire prescrit courant et DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES ou CRÉÉES PAR ORDINATEUR et reçues au plus tard à 16 h 30 le vendredi 22 juin 2018. LES CANDIDATS ET CANDIDATES DOIVENT FOURNIR 14 EXEMPLAIRES DE LEUR FORMULAIRE OU DE LEUR LETTRE DE CANDIDATURE. Une télécopie ne sera acceptée que si 14 exemplaires du formulaire ou de la lettre de candidature sont également envoyés par service de messagerie de 24 heures. On n'accordera AUCUNE considération aux candidatures reçues après cette date. La magistrature provinciale doit refléter raisonnablement la diversité de la population qu'elle sert. Nous encourageons les membres de groupes de promotion de l'égalité à présenter une demande. Untitled-5 1 2018-05-30 9:36 AM Danielle Royal says a bill currently before Parliament could help in situations where current shareholders of a company are being punished for corporate misfeasance that occurred years before their time.

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