R. v. Larouche

R. v. Larouche

Paragraph 130(1)(a) of the National Defence Act is overbroad but constitutionally saved by reading in the military nexus requirement described in MacKay; given the long history of judicial interpretation and Parliament’s repeated acquiescence, reading‑in is an appropriate, minimally intrusive remedy; where search...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
2014 CMAC 6
Parties
Appellant: Private Réjean Larouche; Respondent: Her Majesty the Queen
Court
Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada
Jurisdiction
Canada
Judgment Date
30 April 2014
Procedural Posture
Court Martial Appeal / Reasons for Judgment on Appeal (court Martial Appeal Court Decision)
Outcome
Appeal allowed in part: convictions set aside and acquittals entered
Legal Topics
Military Nexus, National Defence Act S.130(1)(a), Section 24(2) Charter Exclusion, Voyeurism (criminal Code S.162), Child Pornography (criminal Code S.163.1), Search Warrant Validity, Reading‑in Remedy, Overbreadth
Source Language
en
Constitutional Law Military Law Criminal Law Administrative Law Military Nexus National Defence Act S.130(1)(a) Section 24(2) Charter Exclusion Voyeurism (criminal Code S.162) +4 more

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Parties

Private Réjean Larouche

Appellant

Her Majesty the Queen

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Court Martial Appeal / Reasons for Judgment on Appeal (court Martial Appeal Court Decision)

  1. 1 Whether paragraph 130(1)(a) of the National Defence Act is overbroad and unconstitutional
  2. 2 Whether the military nexus test must be read into s.130(1)(a) as a corrective reading‑in remedy
  3. 3 Whether evidence obtained under two search warrants should be excluded under section 24(2) of the Charter due to s.8 breaches

Ratio Decidendi

Paragraph 130(1)(a) of the National Defence Act is overbroad but constitutionally saved by reading in the military nexus requirement described in MacKay; given the long history of judicial interpretation and Parliament’s repeated acquiescence, reading‑in is an appropriate, minimally intrusive remedy; where search warrants were issued without reasonable and probable grounds (no surreptitious observation established), the resulting s.8 breaches were serious and the evidence must be excluded under s.24(2), requiring setting aside of the convictions and entry of acquittals.

Court Disposition

Appeal allowed in part: convictions set aside and acquittals entered

Orders

  • Set aside convictions for voyeurism (Criminal Code s.162) and possession of child pornography (Criminal Code s.163.1(4))
  • Enter acquittals on those charges