Released on April 16, 2008
The Government of Saskatchewan is proposing new legislation to make it easier for police to protect individuals who have a protection order against someone who has intimidated, threatened, coerced or harassed them.
Amendments to The Enforcement of Canadian Judgments Act will help police enforce civil protection orders in Saskatchewan that originated in other provinces in Canada. Under the previous Act, a civil protection order from another province had to be registered in Saskatchewan to be enforceable in Saskatchewan. Now, under the proposed amendments, the order can be enforced by the police in the same manner as a local court order whether or not it has been registered in the province.
"People who have felt threatened enough to seek a protection order against another person need to know that they will be safe in our province, regardless of where that order was previously registered," Justice Minister Don Morgan said. "While the previous Act took steps to provide that protection, it required further administrative steps that could have made the job of the police more difficult. We want to make it as easy as possible for the police to enforce these orders."
The amendments also provide liability protection for law enforcement agencies that act in good faith under the legislation. This is one more way that the proposed amendments will address any reluctance on the part of the police to enforce an order from outside of the province.
The proposed Bill came out of a recommendation by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada to all Attorneys General in the country. Two other provinces-Nova Scotia and Manitoba-have implemented civil protection order amendments.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Judy Orthner
Justice and Attorney General
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5883
Email: judy.orthner@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-535-2233