The Public Prosecution Service of Canada launches PPSC Deskbook

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 2, 2014) - The Public Prosecution Service of Canada today published the PPSC Deskbook, a policy manual that sets out the guiding principles which all federal prosecutors must follow. It is the primary mechanism by which the Attorney General of Canada and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) provide guidance to Crown counsel regarding the manner in which they exercise their prosecutorial discretion.

Before the enactment of the PPSC Deskbook, federal prosecutors were guided by the policies in the Federal Prosecution Service Deskbook, first published in 1993, by the Department of Justice Canada. When the PPSC was created in 2006, federal prosecutors continued to follow the FPS Deskbook, pursuant to a directive from the Attorney General of Canada, as well as guidelines issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions, pursuant to section 3(3)(c) of the Director of Public Prosecutions Act.

The launch of the PPSC Deskbook further reaffirms the PPSC as an independent prosecuting authority. These publicly available guidelines provide principled guidance to prosecutors while helping to promote transparency and enhance public confidence in the administration of justice.

The PPSC Deskbook is available at: www.ppsc.gc.ca