Latest news with #CriminalCode
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Gunfire hits Nijjar-linked business in Canada; cousin blames Bishnoi gang
Toronto: A business owned by a cousin of murdered pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was fired upon in the early hours of Thursday, the latest in a series of such incidents targeting prominent Indo-Canadian businessmen in the area. Multiple shots were fired on the premises of Nijjar Trucking owned by Raghbir Singh Nijjar at around 3 am on Thursday. The outlet Red FM reported that on June 18, there was an attempt to set vehicles afire at the same business. It cited Nijjar as alleging that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the attack, as part of an extortion attempt. His residence had been similarly targeted in August 2024. Nijjar also said that criminal gangs were using international students for these violent acts. While he is related to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed on June 18, 2023, in Surrey, British Columbia, a person familiar with them said they had not been close. This incident followed the murder of another businessman Satwinder Sharma on June 11 in neighbouring Abbotsford. Sharma, 56, was shot while at his business location. The case is being handled by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT which said, 'Early indications suggest this was a targeted incident and no one else was injured as a result of the shooting. Investigators are working diligently to determine the motive and the circumstances surrounding the homicide.' Another repeat victim is Satish Kumar, president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey. On June 7, Reflections Banquet Hall, which he owns, was shot at. Early on Saturday, another business, Satish Accounting Services, was similarly targeted. Kumar told the outlet Vancouver Sun, 'My life is on the line. My family's life is on the line.' In December 2023, the residence where his son and family live in was fired upon. British Columbia Premier (equivalent of an Indian Chief Minister) David Eby has called upon the Federal Government to designate such violent criminal groups as terrorist organisations. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday, he wrote, 'On February 15, 2025, the Government of Canada announced the listing of seven transnational criminal groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. British Columbia believes that this legal instrument should be applied to groups, such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, engaged in extortion and violent crimes in multiple Canadian provinces. This is a complex and nationally impactful criminal issue deserving of a national criminal law response to investigate and prosecute those participating in, promoting and/or facilitating these crimes.'
National Observer
6 hours ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Opposition parties curtail some special powers in Carney's Bill C-5
A controversial bill that would give the federal government the ability to override laws and regulations and fast-track projects is one step closer to becoming law. The federal Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities passed 23 amendments to Bill C-5 and wrapped up after midnight following a marathon Wednesday session. The Carney government used a special order to limit debate and study to try to get the bill through Parliament before MPs leave for summer recess this Friday. Along with removing federal barriers to internal trade, Bill C-5 would allow the federal cabinet to conditionally approve projects it deems 'in the national interest' before regulatory processes take place and enable cabinet to exempt those projects from many laws and regulations. If passed in its original form, the bill would also empower cabinet to override any laws passed by Parliament, like the Criminal Code or Species at Risk Act, for example. Some of that power has been curtailed after opposition MPs carved out some exclusions and checks on the powers it would afford the federal government, but Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval is not satisfied. 'The bill is less problematic than it was, but it's still not a good bill for sure,' Barsalou-Duval said in an interview early Thursday morning with Canada's National Observer. 'It's not a good deal for the environment and Canada.' The Bloc and Conservatives amended the bill to curtail cabinet's power, naming 16 laws the federal government could not override, including the Criminal Code, Indian Act, Lobbying Act, Conflict of Interest Act, Trade Unions Act and Hazardous Products Act, and others. A controversial bill that would give the federal government the ability to override laws and regulations and fast-track projects is one step closer to becoming law. A federal committee passed 23 amendments in a marathon session. The NDP and Green Party also oppose Bill C-5, but only the Bloc Québécois gets a vote at committee meetings. That didn't stop Green Party Leader Elizabeth May from attending virtually to speak to her amendments. No NDP MP was present for the clause-by-clause debate and votes. Another amendment passed by the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives prevents the government from designating projects for fast-tracking when Parliament is prorogued or dissolved. Environmental lawyers, including West Coast Environmental Law's Anna Johnston, criticized the bill for lacking transparency. Opposition MPs made some gains on this with a series of amendments that will require more information about listed projects to be made public in a timely manner. Many of these amendments, particularly those that increase transparency, are a step in the right direction and could 'go a long way towards improving government accountability to voters,' Johnston told Canada's National Observer in an emailed statement. However, cabinet would still get sweeping powers to declare when and for whom laws apply, which is troubling, she said. Additionally, now, if a project has not been substantially started within five years of being listed, the document expires, according to a Bloc amendment. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said no project will be imposed on a province, but this is not spelled out in the bill and the Bloc Québécois are not willing to take Carney at his word. The party tried — and failed — many times to change the bill's language to explicitly require Quebec's consent for any project within its jurisdiction. 'The thing that was the most important for us is not in the bill,' Barsalou-Duval said after the meeting concluded. The Liberal committee members opposed these changes and the Conservatives abstained. Liberal MP Will Greaves told Canada's National Observer the amendment is unnecessary because provincial jurisdiction is in the Constitution. 'Any law that we pass is subject to the Constitution, and the provinces' jurisdictions are the starting point; they don't need to be written into the bill expressly.' The Bloc did manage to pass an amendment that would require the federal government to give 30 days' notice before a project is listed in the national interest, consult with the province where it will be carried out and 'obtain its written consent if the project falls within areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction.' The eight-hour committee meeting on Wednesday evening was marked by friendly exchanges, jokes and laughter between Liberal, Bloc Québécois and Conservative MPs, despite the BQ's vehement opposition to the proposed legislation. The rare instances of unanimity resulted in smatterings of applause and cheers, with Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs exclaiming: 'I'm so used to fighting and losing!' But there were tense exchanges as well, particularly between BQ MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who testified for two hours alongside Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and newly elected Liberal MP and minister of Crown–Indigenous relations, Rebecca Alty. Barsalou-Duval compared the sweeping powers in Bill C-5 to a 'disguised' version of the Emergencies Act, and suggested the federal government is taking advantage of the trade war with US President Donald Trump to grant itself extreme powers. LeBlanc balked at the comparison to the Emergencies Act, and said the current situation is urgent from an economic standpoint. Through much interruption and back-and-forth, Barsalou-Duval fired back: 'We don't know that you will act in our best interest.' The CPC and BQ voted in favour of an NDP amendment to add language about good-paying, unionized jobs to the preamble.
Cision Canada
20 hours ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Shabina Ahmad given 30-month suspended sentence and banned from trading, advising, or selling securities
TORONTO , June 19, 2025 /CNW/ - The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) announces that Ms. Shabina Ahmad has been given a 30-month suspended sentence, and probation for Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000, contrary to s. 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code. Ms. Ahmad is also banned from trading or acting to further a trade, advising on the purchase or sale of a security, or otherwise acquiring a security. The matter was prosecuted by the Peel Crown Attorney's office following a joint investigation by the OSC's Criminal Investigations and Prosecution Team and the Peel Regional Police. In addition to the probation order, Ms. Ahmad was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2500 to each to three separate victims, totaling $7500. Ms. Ahmad pleaded guilty to the offence and acknowledged possessing funds from three investors. The investors were falsely led to believe that when they paid money to Ms. Ahmad's TD Bank account, they were purchasing Bitcoin from a company called 'CreditEUBank.' The investors did not receive the promised Bitcoin and lost all their money. The OSC gratefully acknowledges the assistance and support of the Peel Regional Police in this joint investigation. The OSC's Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions Team investigates quasi-criminal and criminal offences related to securities, including the investigation of alleged recidivists. Charges laid under the Securities Act are prosecuted by the OSC. Charges laid under the Criminal Code are prosecuted by the Ministry of the Attorney General. The mandate of the OSC is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices, to foster fair, efficient and competitive capital markets and confidence in the capital markets, to foster capital formation, and to contribute to the stability of the financial system and the reduction of systemic risk. Investors are urged to check the registration of any persons or company offering an investment opportunity and to review the OSC investor materials available at
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Witness under oath allegedly provides conflicting, unreliable info during criminal trial
After looking into testimonies given during a court proceeding, Alliston police have charged a witness with perjury. During a recent criminal trial, Nottawasaga Ontario Provincial Police entered into a perjury investigation. Police allege that during the court proceedings, a witness under oath provided conflicting and unreliable information. As a result of the investigation, a 37-year-old Bradford resident was charged with perjury. The accused is scheduled to appear before the courts at a later date. Police remind everyone that providing false testimony under oath is a serious criminal offence that undermines the integrity of the justice system. 'Under section 131(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada, perjury happens when someone knowingly lies under oath, or in a sworn statement, with the intention of misleading the court or another legal authority,' concluded police in a Thursday release.
Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
Anger after B.C. man acquitted in sex assault case because he was high on drugs
WARNING: This story may be triggering to some readers. Discretion is advised. Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS) is expressing deep concern over the recent acquittal of a man who attacked a woman in 2019 while under the influence of magic mushrooms and cannabis. Leon-Jamal Barrett was charged with break and enter to commit the indictable offence of sexual assault, sexual assault, resisting or wilfully obstructing a peace officer in the execution of their duties, and public nudity, all concerning a bizarre series of events that occurred in the early morning hours of March 9, 2019, in Surrey. The public nudity charge was stayed before trial. In a ruling posted online in March, Judge Hinkson said this was an unusual case. 'There is no doubt as to whether or not Mr. Barrett did what he is accused of,' Hinkson wrote. Story continues below advertisement However, Barrett was acquitted on all charges as the judge ruled he was too high on mushrooms to know what he was doing when he violently attacked a stranger. Barrett described a complex hallucination from the mushrooms in which he concluded that humanity was corrupt and destined to be punished. 'He was fixated on a belief that all life had started from one cell splitting into two and that he was a descendant of half of that cell,' Hinkson wrote. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'He believed God was commanding him to find the other half, a woman chosen by God, and that God would sacrifice both of them during an act of sexual congress in order to save humanity.' 2:16 Violent assault prompts Vancouver police to issue warning to women When a woman did not come to his house, Barrett left his home and that's when he saw the victim getting out of her car and go around the back of her house. Story continues below advertisement The victim testified that Barrett pushed her down and assaulted her. She was able to get into her house and lock the door, eventually attracting the attention of neighbours who called the police. Barrett was found not criminally responsible with Hinkson accepting the defence of automatism, or actions performed without conscious thought or intention. 'This ruling is devastating. It tells survivors that their pain is real, but their pursuit of justice may be futile,' Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of BWSS said in a statement. 'This woman fought for her life — biting, screaming, resisting — and yet the legal system sided with the man who harmed her, because he chose to get high. We cannot allow intoxication to become a shield from responsibility when it comes to sexual violence.' In 2022, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Section 33.1 of the Criminal Code, which had previously barred the use of extreme intoxication as a defence in cases involving sexual assault. Parliament later amended that decision, but it did not apply in Barrett's case. 2:10 Kelowna sex offender's release questioned 'Survivors are retraumatized by a system that finds ways to explain away violence rather than confront it,' said Johanne Lamoureux, Manager of Community-Based Response at BWSS. Story continues below advertisement 'Our front-line teams hear every day how deeply unsafe and re-traumatizing the criminal system is for those who come forward. When the courts uphold the 'moral innocence' of perpetrators, it reinforces why so many survivors never report in the first place.' BWSS is now calling for an immediate federal review of how amended Section 33.1 is being applied, and whether further reforms are needed to uphold survivor rights and public education that makes clear that intoxication is not an excuse for violence.
