PPSC Annual Report Tabled in Parliament

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 17, 2013) - The Director of Public Prosecutions, Brian Saunders, today announced the tabling in Parliament of the Annual Report 2012-2013 of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. The report covers the period of April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013.

In 2012-2013, the PPSC worked on 77,926 files. This included 46,685 new files and 31,241carried over from previous years. Even though the PPSC's caseload decreased slightly from the previous year, the PPSC continued to see a substantial number of high-complexity files. Drug prosecution files continued to represent the largest proportion of the organization's caseload, followed by Criminal Code offences, both of which often required a significant amount of PPSC resources.

Over 250 federal statutes contain offences that fall under PPSC jurisdiction to prosecute, and the PPSC regularly prosecutes offences under approximately 40 of those statutes.

"Over the past year, the PPSC has demonstrated excellence in the criminal justice field. With a caseload of broad scope and complexity, PPSC staff have conducted many significant and high-profile cases," said Mr. Saunders.

The PPSC is responsible for prosecuting offences under federal law and provides prosecution-related advice to investigative and law enforcement agencies. As of March 31, 2013, the organization had 1,024 employees. The PPSC also retains the legal services of 205 firms, or 450 private-sector individually appointed lawyers, as standing agents, in hundreds of communities across Canada.

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