Bill C-423

If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.

First Reading

Complete Document Bilingual view XML PDF

1st Session, 39th Parliament,

55-56 Elizabeth II, 2006-2007

house of commons of canada

BILL C-423

An Act to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act (treatment for substance abuse)

2002, c. 1

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

1. (1) Subsection 6(1) of the Youth Criminal Justice Act is replaced by the following:

Warnings, cautions and referrals

6. (1) A police officer shall, before starting judicial proceedings or taking any other meas-ures under this Act against a young person alleged to have committed an offence, consider whether it would be sufficient, having regard to the principles set out in section 4, to

(a) take no further action;

(b) warn the young person;

(d) if the young person has given his or her consent, refer the young person to

(i) a program or agency in the community that may assist the young person not to commit offences, or

(ii) if appropriate, an addiction specialist to assess whether the young person is engaged in substance abuse and, if so, to recommend a treatment program.

(2) Section 6 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (2):

Failure to complete treatment program

(3) If a young person has been referred to an addiction specialist under subsection (1), and, as a result of that referral, has entered into a treatment program, the failure of that young person to complete the requirements of that program shall be taken into consideration by a police officer in deciding whether to start judicial proceedings against that young person.

Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons

Available from:
Publishing and Depository Services
Public Works and Government Services Canada