JFCY intervened in this appeal about the requirement under the Youth Criminal Justice Act requiring a young person to “seek leave to appeal” on a finding of guilt to the Supreme Court of Canada where an adult would have an “automatic right to appeal”. Appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada are recognized as an important safeguard against wrongful findings of guilt.
JFCY’s submissions focused on section 7 (life, liberty and security of the person) and section 15 (age discrimination) of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms; addressing the harms to young person’s dignity and practical harms to a young person of the unequal ability to challenge a potentially wrongful finding of guilt to Canada’s highest court.
