Third-Party Intercept to Prevent Imminent Harm

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed January 2015. (Rev. # 96248)

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General Principles

Section 184.4 permits warrantless wiretaps in exceptional circumstances. The section states:

Immediate interception — imminent harm

184.4 A police officer may intercept, by means of any electro-magnetic, acoustic, mechanical or other device, a private communication if the police officer has reasonable grounds to believe that

(a) the urgency of the situation is such that an authorization could not, with reasonable diligence, be obtained under any other provision of this Part [Pt. VI – Invasion of Privacy (ss. 183 to 196.1)];

(b) the interception is immediately necessary to prevent an offence that would cause serious harm to any person or to property; and

(c) either the originator of the private communication or the person intended by the originator to receive it is the person who would commit the offence that is likely to cause the harm or is the victim, or intended victim, of the harm.

1993, c. 40, s. 4; 2013, c. 8, s. 3.
[annotation(s) added]

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Requirements

This form of lawful warrantless intercept requires:

1. the intercept be done by a peace officer;
2. the peace officer must have reasonable grounds to believe that
   1. reasonable diligence could not obtain a Part VI authorization becuase of the situation's urgency,
   2. the interception is necessary to prevent an offence causing serious harm to person or property; and
   3. one of the parties to the communication is likely to culprit or victim of the offence.

Constitutionality

This section, in its pre-2013 form, was determined to be unconstitutional due to a lack of safeguards, including a lack of a notice requirement, reporting requirements to Parliament, record-keeping requirement; and restrictions on the use that can be made of the interceptions.

Notice Requirements for Warrantless Wiretaps or Serious Offences

Written notice — interception in accordance with section 184.4

196.1 (1) Subject to subsections (3) [grounds of granting extension] and (5) [grounds of granting extension – crim org or terrorism], the Attorney General of the province in which a police officer intercepts a private communication under section 184.4 [immediate interception — imminent harm] or, if the interception relates to an offence for which proceedings may be commenced by the Attorney General of Canada, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness shall give notice in writing of the interception to any person who was the object of the interception within 90 days after the day on which it occurred.

Extension of period for notification

(2) The running of the 90-day period or of any extension granted under subsection (3) [grounds of granting extension] or (5) [grounds of granting extension – crim org or terrorism] is suspended until any application made by the Attorney General of the province or the Minister to a judge of a superior court of criminal jurisdiction or a judge as defined in section 552 [definitions - judges] for an extension or a subsequent extension of the period has been heard and disposed of.

Where extension to be granted

(3) The judge to whom an application under subsection (2) [suspension while extension application pending] is made shall grant an extension or a subsequent extension of the 90-day period — each extension not to exceed three years — if the judge is of the opinion that the interests of justice warrant granting the application and is satisfied, on the basis of an affidavit submitted in support of the application, that one of the following investigations is continuing:

(a) the investigation of the offence to which the interception relates; or

(b) a subsequent investigation of an offence commenced as a result of information obtained from the investigation referred to in paragraph (a).

Application to be accompanied by affidavit

(4) An application shall be accompanied by an affidavit deposing to

(a) the facts known or believed by the deponent and relied on to justify the belief that an extension should be granted; and

(b) the number of instances, if any, on which an application has, to the knowledge or belief of the deponent, been made under subsection (2) [suspension while extension application pending] in relation to the particular interception and on which the application was withdrawn or the application was not granted, the date on which each application was made and the judge to whom each application was made.

Exception — criminal organization or terrorism offence

(5) Despite subsection (3) [grounds of granting extension], the judge to whom an application under subsection (2) [suspension while extension application pending] is made shall grant an extension or a subsequent extension of the 90-day period — each extension not to exceed three years — if the judge is of the opinion that the interests of justice warrant granting the application and is satisfied, on the basis of an affidavit submitted in support of the application, that the interception of the communication relates to an investigation of

(a) an offence under section 467.11 [participation in activities of criminal organization], 467.12 [commission of offence for criminal organization] or 467.13 [instructing commission of offence for criminal organization];

(b) an offence committed for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a criminal organization; or

(c) a terrorism offence.

2013, c. 8, s. 6.
[annotation(s) added]

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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