Raise Your Charter Argument Before the Crown Closes its Case
Under section 24(2) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the burden of having the court exclude evidence that is otherwise admissible passes to the defence. The Crown does not have to anticipate that the defence will seek to exclude Crown evidence on the basis of an alleged Charter breach. The orderly and fair operation of the criminal trial process requires that the Crown know before it completes its case whether the evidence it has tendered, will be received and considered in determining the guilt of an accused. Absent special circumstances [FN], the general principle is that the accused must raise Charter objections to the admissibility of Crown evidence before, not after, that evidence is adduced. Otherwise, the Crown and the Court are entitled to proceed on the basis that no Charter issue is involved in the case. R. v. Kutynec , 1992 CanLII 12755 (ON CA);