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C-258 — An Act to amend the Criminal Code to address the Supreme Court of Canada decision in R. v. Jordan
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C-258
An Act to amend the Criminal Code to address the Supreme Court of Canada decision in R. v. Jordan
BQ
In progress
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BILL C-258
An Act to amend the Criminal Code to address the Supreme Court of Canada decision in R. v. Jordan
Last activity : Outside the Order of Precedence
BQ
In progress
Commons · 1st2025-12-03Commons · 2ndCommons · 3rdSenate · 1stSenate · 2ndSenate · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Writes the rules on the right to be tried within a reasonable time directly into the Criminal Code, based on the Supreme Court's decision in R. v. Jordan.
- Creates a new Part XVI.1 of the Criminal Code, inserted after section 529.5.
- Sets a 30-month ceiling, from the day the charge is laid to the actual or expected end of trial, for superior court cases: past that point, the judge must stay the proceedings.
- Sets the same kind of ceiling at 18 months for trials in provincial court.
- Allows the ceilings to be exceeded if the prosecutor shows that exceptional circumstances make the delay reasonable.
- Leaves out of the calculation any delay caused solely or directly by the defence, or waived by the defence.
- Exempts "primary designated offences" as defined in section 487.04 (a list of serious offences tied to DNA sampling) from the ceilings altogether.
- Uses the Charter's notwithstanding clause (section 33) so that this exemption applies despite the paragraph 11(b) right to be tried within a reasonable time.
- Introduced by Mr. Fortin as a private member's bill, at first reading on December 3, 2025.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
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On the “who voted what” detail — the House of Commons publishes each member's name for every recorded (nominal) vote (Yea / Nay / paired). The by-member breakdown above (the "+" button on each row) comes directly from that official source (ourcommons.ca), not an estimate. The party shown next to each name is taken from the current House roster; people who have since left the House appear separately under "Former members".
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Recorded vote
Members vote one by one and each choice is entered in the public record. That is what lets us say exactly who voted what — no interpretation.
Passed is not law
A passed vote clears ONE stage. A bill must pass both chambers and then receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
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