January 2019: Kelly Sears has been engaged by the Department of Justice Canada to conduct an Evaluation of the implementation of Bill C-13: Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act. This is a horizontal initiative, led by Justice Canada and in partnership with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the RCMP and Global Affairs Canada. The Act, which was enacted in 2015, introduced specialized investigative powers under judicial authorization to obtain digital evidence. Amendments have been made to the Criminal Code and other acts, including the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act. The initiative also has enabled Canada to meet its international obligations under the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention). The evaluation involves interviews within the Department of Justice and the federal partners, along with interviews across Canada with the prosecution and law enforcement communities and with telecommunications service providers. The evaluation will be completed in the summer of 2019.
