Giving Meaningful Effect to Victims’ Rights: The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights as Quasi-Constitutional Legislation

Authors

• Benjamin Perrin, Allard School of Law at the University of British ColumbiaFollow

Faculty Author Type

Current Faculty [Benjamin Perrin]

Document Type

Research Paper

Publication Date

4-2026

Subjects

Victim's Rights, The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights

Abstract

This research paper is the first detailed examination of the quasi-constitutional status of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights ("CVBR") and the implications for its interpretation and application. It aims to provide a doctrinal account of this extraordinary legal recognition and to serve as a resource for scholars, judges, lawyers, and other justice system participants to ensure that the CVBR is interpreted and applied consistently with its aim of serving as a catalyst for transformative change to how the criminal justice system has historically treated victims.

Comments

Posted at Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime's Research Corner.

Citation Details

B. Perrin, Giving Meaningful Effect to Victims’ Rights: The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights as Quasi-Constitutional Legislation (Canada, Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime, April 2026).