NCJ Number
94371
Date Published
1983
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report of the Canadian Attorney General's decision not to prosecute certain findings of the McDonald Commission's investigation into unlawful acts committed by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) focuses on issues of prosecutorial discretion.
Abstract
While there was extensive evidence indicating the RCMP did unlawfully obtain evidence from branches of the Federal Government, the Attorney General decided not to prosecute individual members of the Force because the practices, such as the interception of mail and the access to and abuse of confidential information held by various Federal departments, went beyond the purview of the individual who engaged in them. They became a problem of the system and required correction at the institutional level. Other reasons for not prosecuting included the amount of time and money required to investigate and bring to trial so many cases, and, more importantly, statutory limitations and absence of criminal intent. The report is presented in both English and French.