Laying criminal charges

Please note that this webpage is currently under review and is being revised to reflect legislative amendments made in July 2026, when reforms to strengthen victims’ rights became law.

Laying criminal charges
Laying criminal charges
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Important Things for Crime Victims to Know

Victims of crime have rights to information, protection, participation and to seek restitution under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

Victim services can provide information and assistance. To find a victim service near you, do a web search for the Victim Services Directory.

If a victim has a reasonable fear that someone is likely going to harm them, their children, or their property, the victim can ask the Court for a peace bond.

A peace bond is not a criminal conviction, does not cost anything, and a victim does not need a lawyer to get one.

A victim has a right to present a victim impact statement for consideration at the time of sentencing.

The Court may order an offender to pay restitution to a victim for his or her financial losses caused by the crime.

A victim should start documenting their financial losses as soon as possible after the crime.

For more information, visit canada.ca/victims.

Disclaimer: This infographic contains general information only and is not intended as legal advice.

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A person who has been a victim of a crime should contact the police. The police will investigate and when there are reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence has been committed, the accused may be arrested and charged with a criminal offence. The accused may be released on a court document that commits them to show up to court at a later date or they may be held and brought before a judge or justice of the peace to enter a plea.

When a person is charged, he or she is formally accused of committing the offence named in the charge. This charge is set out in a document called an “information”. A person charged with an offence gets a copy of the information.