Pouvoirs procéduraux d'un juge d'enquête préliminaire

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• < Procédure et pratique
• < Enquête préliminaire

Principes généraux

Les pouvoirs procéduraux d'un juge d'enquête préliminaire sont énumérés à l'art. 537. Ces pouvoirs consistent à :

• ajourner l'enquête
• placer l'accusé en détention afin d'établir son identité;
• placer l'accusé en détention pour la durée de la procédure;
• reprendre l'enquête après avoir été ajournée avec le consentement des parties;
• ordonner la présence de l'accusé pendant sa détention;
• permettre ou interdire les observations préliminaires ou finales de la Couronne à l'enquête préliminaire;
• permettre ou interdire la présentation d'une contre-preuve à toute preuve présentée par l'accusé;
• permettre ou interdire toute autre preuve après avoir entendu l'affaire de l'enquête préliminaire;
• exclure le public ou d'autres personnes de la salle d'audience;
• contrôler le déroulement de l'enquête; et
• permettre à l'accusé de s'absenter du tribunal pendant la durée de l'enquête.

Powers of justice

537 (1) A justice acting under this Part may

(a) adjourn an inquiry from time to time and change the place of hearing, where it appears to be desirable to do so by reason of the absence of a witness, the inability of a witness who is ill to attend at the place where the justice usually sits or for any other sufficient reason;

(b) remand the accused to custody for the purposes of the Identification of Criminals Act;

(c) except where the accused is authorized pursuant to Part XVI to be at large, remand the accused to custody in a prison by warrant in Form 19;

(d) resume an inquiry before the expiration of a period for which it has been adjourned with the consent of the prosecutor and the accused or his counsel;

(e) order in writing, in Form 30, that the accused be brought before him, or any other justice for the same territorial division, at any time before the expiration of the time for which the accused has been remanded;

(f) grant or refuse permission to the prosecutor or his counsel to address him in support of the charge, by way of opening or summing up or by way of reply on any evidence that is given on behalf of the accused;

(g) receive evidence on the part of the prosecutor or the accused, as the case may be, after hearing any evidence that has been given on behalf of either of them;

(h) order that no person other than the prosecutor, the accused and their counsel shall have access to or remain in the room in which the inquiry is held, where it appears to him that the ends of justice will be best served by so doing;

(i) regulate the course of the inquiry in any way that appears to the justice to be desirable, including to promote a fair and expeditious inquiry, that is consistent with this Act and that, unless the justice is satisfied that to do so would be contrary to the best interests of the administration of justice, is in accordance with any admission of fact or agreement recorded under subsection 536.4(2) or agreement made under section 536.5;

(j) if the prosecutor and the accused consent, allow the accused to appear by counsel for any part of the inquiry, other than a part in which the evidence of a witness is taken; and

(j.1) permit, on the request of the accused, that the accused be out of court during the whole or any part of the inquiry on any conditions that the justice considers appropriate.

(k) [Repealed, 2022, c. 17, s. 35]

Marginal note:Power provided under paragraph (1)(i)

(1.01) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(i), the justice may, among other things, limit the scope of the preliminary inquiry to specific issues and limit the witnesses to be heard on these issues.

Marginal note:Section 715 or 715.01

(1.02) If a justice grants a request under paragraph (1)(j.1), the Court must inform the accused that the evidence taken during their absence could still be admissible under section 715 or 715.01.

Marginal note:Inappropriate questioning

(1.1) A justice acting under this Part shall order the immediate cessation of any part of an examination or cross-examination of a witness that is, in the opinion of the justice, abusive, too repetitive or otherwise inappropriate.

Marginal note:Change of venue

(2) Where a justice changes the place of hearing under paragraph (1)(a) to a place in the same province, other than a place in a territorial division in which the justice has jurisdiction, any justice who has jurisdiction in the place to which the hearing is changed may continue the hearing.

(3) and (4) [Repealed, 1991, c. 43, s. 9]

R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 5371991, c. 43, s. 91994, c. 44, s. 531997, c. 18, s. 642002, c. 13, s. 282008, c. 18, s. 222019, c. 25, s. 2422022, c. 17, s. 35
[annotation(s) ajoutée(s)]

– CCC (CanLII), (Jus.)

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Organization

538 Where an accused is an organization, subsections 556(1) and (2) apply with such modifications as the circumstances require.

R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 5382003, c. 21, s. 8

[annotation(s) ajoutée(s)]

– CCC (CanLII), (Jus.) CCC]

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Les pouvoirs décrits à l'art. 537 doivent être « interprétés de façon large afin que le juge puisse s'acquitter efficacement de son mandat ».

Divulgation

Le droit de l'accusé à la divulgation n'a aucun lien avec le déroulement de l'enquête préliminaire. Le pouvoir du tribunal de veiller à ce que la divulgation soit respectée n'est pas affecté par le processus d'enquête. L'absence de preuve qui aiderait à une défense complète n'a aucune incidence sur le processus d'enquête préliminaire.

Audiences ciblées

Order for hearing

536.4 (1) The justice before whom a preliminary inquiry is to be held may order, on application of the prosecutor or the accused or on the justice’s own motion, that a hearing be held, within the period fixed by rules of court made under section 482 or 482.1 or, if there are no such rules, by the justice, to

(a) assist the parties to identify the issues on which evidence will be given at the inquiry;

(b) assist the parties to identify the witnesses to be heard at the inquiry, taking into account the witnesses’ needs and circumstances; and

(c) encourage the parties to consider any other matters that would promote a fair and expeditious inquiry.

Marginal note:Agreement to be recorded

(2) When the hearing is completed, the justice shall record any admissions of fact agreed to by the parties and any agreement reached by the parties.

2002, c. 13, s. 27
[annotation(s) ajoutée(s)]

– CCC (CanLII), (Jus.)

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Agreement to limit scope of preliminary inquiry

536.5 Whether or not a hearing is held under section 536.4, the prosecutor and the accused may agree to limit the scope of the preliminary inquiry to specific issues. An agreement shall be filed with the court or recorded under subsection 536.4(2), as the case may be.

2002, c. 13, s. 272019, c. 25, s. 241(E)
[annotation(s) ajoutée(s)]

– CCC (CanLII), (Jus.)

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Procédure avec accusé par vidéo

Voir art. 715.23.

Procédure sans accusé

L'article 537(1)(j.1) confère au juge de l'enquête préliminaire le pouvoir discrétionnaire de terminer l'enquête préliminaire sans la présence de l'accusé.

Les pratiques exemplaires exigent que l'accusé dépose un affidavit et un avis de demande.

Interdictions de publication

Plusieurs interdictions de publication sont possibles pour les enquêtes préliminaires :

• identité du plaignant (art. 486.4(1) et (2), 486.4(3) [obligatoire]; art. 486.4(1), 486.5(1))
• confessions de l'accusé (art. 542) [obligatoire]
• preuve de l'enquête préliminaire (art. 539)
• identité du témoin (art. 486.5(1))
• identité du participant au système judiciaire (art. 486.2(5))