Canadian Government Plans on Eliminating Zombie Laws from Criminal Code

This week, the Government of Canada announced its plans to introduce legislation to remove or amend parts of the Criminal Code that have been declared unconstitutional by the courts:

"The removal of these provisions would eliminate the possibility that someone could mistakenly be charged, prosecuted or even convicted under provisions that are no longer in force."

These provisions that have no force of law but that still appear as part of the Criminal Code are often called "zombie laws".

Among the provisions targeted by Bill C-39 are a number relating to:

• abortion
• anal intercourse
• spreading "false news"
• vagrancy
• impaired driving
• credit for pre-sentencing custody